especially Death from which or whereto the person is sayd to be delivered as Mat. 27.43 He trusted in God let him deliver him now i. e. Let him deliver him now from death And 2. Pet. 2.7 and delivered just Lot i. e. from death at the destruction of Sodome But in divers other places the deliverance is not from evill but unto evill and the evill whereunto Christ was delivered was death So Rom. 4.25 who was delivered for our offences i. e. delivered unto death And Rom. 8.32 He that spared not his owne sonne but delivered him up for us all i. e. delivered him up to death So heer and delivered himselfe for me i. e. delivered or gave himselfe unto death for me The Person who delivered Christ unto death was Christ himselfe for he delivered himselfe and gave himselfe to die Eph. 5.2 And walke in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himselfe for us where in the Originall it is hath delivered himselfe for us And againe in the same Chapter ver 25. Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himselfe for it where againe the Originall hath it and delivered himselfe for it Yet besides Christ there were other persons who were concurrent in this delivery of Christ to death For God the Father by his Decree and by the consent of Christ did deliver him to death Act. 2.23 Him being delivered by the determinate counsell and foreknowledge of God yee have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slaine And Judas who betrayed him delivered him for all treachery is a delivery of the person who is betrayed and Judas to extenuate the foulnesse of his treachery calles it by the moderat and generall name of delivery Mat. 26.15 Then one of the twelve called Judas Iscariot went unto the chiefe Priests and sayd unto them what will yee give mee and I will deliver him unto you and they covenanted with him for 30 peeces of silver and from that time he sought opportunity to betray him where in the Greeke the same word stands for delivering and betraying for all unlawfull and sinfull delivering is betraying Likewise the Rulers of the Jewes as the chiefe Priests the Scribes and Elders delivered him Luk. 20.20 And they watched him and sent foorth spies which should faine themselves just men that they might take hold of his words that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the Governour And lastly Pilate the Governour delivered him Mat. 27.26 And when he had scourged Jesus he delivered him to bee crucified Yet this one and the same action wherein so many persons concurred was in God and Christ an holy Act but in the rest a wicked crime Because actions are moralised to bee good or evill from their causes and circumstances which being altered doe alter the good or evill of the action God who was the father of Christ had power to deliver his son unto death and did actually deliver him for this end viz. to glorifie him that raysing him after death to an immortall life hee might become the perpetuall Priest and King of his Church and consequently the authour of eternall salvation to all that obey him And this act of God was good because hee had power to doe it and did it to a good and blessed end And Christ who was the sonne of God had power to deliver himselfe to death and in obedience to his father actually did it to the same end namely to be glorified Heb. 12.2 Looking unto Jesus the authour and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the Crosse despising the shame and is set downe at the right hand of the throne of God And this act of Christ was good because hee had power to doe it for though no man had authority to take his life from him yet hee had authority from his father to lay it downe John 10.18 No man taketh it from mee but I lay it downe of my selfe I have power to lay it downe and I have power to take it againe this commandement have I received of my father And because Christ did this act for a good end that thereby he might compasse his owne glory and mans salvation But in Judas and the Jewes this very act of delivering Christ unto death was a foule wickednesse because they had no lawfull authority to doe it and because they did it to an evill end namely to destroy him and because they did it not as Gods will but as Satans will and their owne for John 13.2 The Divel put it into the heart of Judas Thus one and the same action done by divers agents upon divers motives and for divers ends may be diversly moralised to become in one respect good and holy but in another foule and wicked For me Christ delivered himselfe unto death and died yet not for himselfe only and only for his owne sake but also for me and for my sake Which is not to be so understood as if Christ had died in my stead or in my roome by suffering that death which I for my sin am to suffer For although Christ suffered a death in a manner somewhat like to that death which I deserve to suffer and suffered it for that end to free me from that death which I deserve to suffer and from which I should not have beene freed unlesse he had suffered death Yet first He suffered not that very death which I deserve to suffer for the death which I deserve to suffer is eternall death which kinde of death Christ suffered not for his death lasted but three dayes neyther could he suffer it because God had decreed and promised the contrary And if he had suffered it then could I have never beene freed from it and yet my freedome from it was the maine end for which hee suffered For if Christ had continued in death and had not beene raysed from it my faith to be raysed from it is vaine and whensoever I die I shall utterly perish 1. Cor. 15.17 And if Christ be not raysed your faith is vaine ye are yet in your sinnes then they also which are fallen asleepe in Christ are perished And secondly The death which Christ suffered was not in stead or liew of mine For the temporall death which Christ suffered doth not free mee from temporall death because I shall suffer that kinde of death and shall lie under it till the Resurrection not as a punishment of my sin for unto the Remission of my sinnes I am already justified and my death is not a punishment for them but as a Calamity of my birth as being the son of Adam in whose attainder I was tainted and for whose sinne I must die But by the temporall death of Christ my temporall death shall determine which otherwise would become eternall for his Rising from his death will rayse me from mine 1. Cor. 15.22 For as in Adam all die even so in Christ shall
quickned us together with Christ by grace yee are saved i. e. The cause of your present right to future salvation is the grace of God And Tit. 3.7 That being justified by his grace wee should bee made heires according to the hope of eternall life i. e. The cause of our Justifying is Gods grace and the effect of it is that thereby wee are made heires of eternall life and because wee are heires wee have good reason to hope for it for who can have better hope of any thing then an heire hath of his inheritance These are the chiefe authorities from the Scriptures to testifie this truth that our inheritance is by grace Causes to prove it there are none for wee sayd that Gods grace was the highest cause which had none above it and therefore this verity must needes bee a principle and consequently cannot bee proved for hee abuseth a principle who attempteth to prove it Yet there are reasons that may argue and perswade it and they being grounded on Scripture are chiefely these five following 1. Because this Right comes from Gods gift John 4.10 If thou knewest the gift of God i. e. everlasting life which comes from Gods gift for so the Well of water is interpreted at the last words of the 14. verse following And Acts 11.18 Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life i. e. then hath God given them the benefit or fruit of repentance which is eternall life for the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. given yet it is Englished well enough because every grant is a gift And Rom. 5.15 But not as the offence so also is the free gift for if through the offence of one many bee dead much more the grace of God and the gift by grace which is by one man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many here unto eternall death the cause whereof was the offence or sin is opposed eternall life the cause whereof is grace for it is a gift by grace And Rom. 6.23 But the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternall life through Jesus Christ our Lord. i. e. The cause of our present guiltinesse unto eternall death is sin whereof death is the wages but the cause of our present right unto eternall life is not our holinesse but Gods grace whereof life is the gift and that gift is conveyed unto us by the meanes of Jesus Christ And Heb. 6.4 It is impossible for those who were once inlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift i. e. who have had the knowledge and have felt the joy of their inheritance to blessednes which is no earthly purchase but a heavenly gift proceeding from God Now the fountaine or cause from which gifts and grants proceed is not Law and justice but grace and favour for what else is a gift or grant but an act of grace 2. Because it commeth from Gods good pleasure Luk. 2.14 Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace good will towards men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. good pleasure towards men q. d. Let the God of Heaven be glorified for that blessednesse on earth descended from his favour or good pleasure towards men which he hath abundantly testified by sending his son to be their Saviour And Luke 12.32 Feare not little flock for it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdome i. e. feare not the want of food and raiment for God is your Father and therefore will give it you and more then so for he will also give you the Kingdome of Heaven for the blessing thereof comes from his gift and that gift proceeds from his good pleasure And Ephes 1.9 having made knowne unto us the mystery of his Will according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himselfe i. e. That Will and Testament of God wherein we are made heirs to the inheritance of Heaven was a long time a mystery and concealed in secret but is now published and made knowne unto us and this is according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himselfe first for the making of that Will and after for the publishing of it Now that which proceeds from the good pleasure of any person is not an act of Law and justice but of Grace and favour for matters of Law and justice leave not a man to his good pleasure but oblige him to that which Law and justice require to be done 3. Because it comes from Gods goodnes or kindnes Rom. 11.22 Behold therefore the goodnesse and severity of God on them which fell severity but towards thee goodnes if thou continue in his goodnes otherwise thou also shalt be cut off i. e. The Jews were once in the state of alliance with God to be his children and people but because they fell from their obedience God cut them off and their excision proceeded from Gods severity but Gods election of thee in their room proceeds from his goodnes or kindnes towards thee if thou cōtinue in that state wherinto his goodnes hath grafted thee otherwise thou also shalt be cut off with the like severity And Eph. 2.7 And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus that in the ages to come hee might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnesse towards us through Christ Jesus i. e. God hath raised Christ from the dead and hath seated him in Heaven and in him he hath given us a precedent of our future possession there to be raised as he was and to be seated as he is for he was raised and seated there to him and his co-heirs i. e. to all believers in him that in the world to come after the Resurrection God might shew and impart unto us the exceeding riches or abundance of that blessednes which proceeds from the abundance of his grace and kindnes towards us through the means of Jesus Christ And Tit. 3.4 But after that the kindenesse and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared i. e. Those benefits whereby God is the Saviour of man proceeds from Gods kindnesse and love toward man Now Gods goodnesse or kindnesse is really the very same thing with his grace for his grace is that inward affection from whence his outward kindnesse floweth as the effect thereof 4. Because it comes from Gods Mercy or Pity Rom. 11.30 For as yee in times past have not believed God yet have now obtained mercy through their unbeliefe Even so have these also now not believed that through your mercy they also may obtaine mercy i. e. As heeretofore yee Gentiles were Infidells or Unbelievers yet now have believed upon the Jewes unbeliefe So now the Jewes are become unbelievers that upon your beliefe they may bee provoked to believe Hee calls beliefe mercy because the thing believed and the act of believing proceed from Gods mercy And Tit. 3.5 Not by workes of righteousnesse which wee have done but according to his
and gave gifts unto men and partly by the words immediately following vers 11. And hee gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ Now to doe these things was to execute and fulfill the last Will of God Hence the Apostle teacheth the conveniency of Christs death through the meanes whereof hee was fitted and perfected for the executing and doing of those things which according to the last Will of God conduce to our finall salvation For hence is our Expiation whereby wee are absolved and acquitted from our sinnes for Christ through his death was made a mercifull and faithfull high Priest to performe this gracious Office unto us Heb. 2.17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to bee made like unto his brethren that hee might bee a mercifull and faithfull high Priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sinnes of the people for in that hee himselfe hath suffered being tempted hee is able to succour them that are tempted And whereas at the Legall Expiation the Priest entred the Tabernacle after hee had shed the blood of Goates and Calves But Christ first shed his owne blood and thereupon entred the Sanctuary of Heaven once for all to make an eternall Expiation Heb. 9.12 Neither by the blood of Goates and Calves but by his owne blood hee entred in once into the holy place having obtained eternall redemption Hence is our Consolation whereby wee are succoured in all our sufferings and distresses for seeing Christ suffered and was tryed in all poynts as wee are therefore hee hath a sense of our infirmities and thereupon wee may confidently come to him for helpe in time of neede Heb. 4.15 For wee have not an high Priest which cannot bee touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted as wee are yet without sinne let us therefore come boldly unto the Throne of Grace that wee may obtaine mercy and finde grace to helpe in time of neede Hence is our Resurrection whereby wee are raised from death for Christ through his death destroyes the Divell who had the power of death and delivers us from our death whereof though wee feele the pressure yet wee need not feare the bondage that it will bee eternall Heb. 2.14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood hee also himselfe likewise tooke part of the same that through death hee might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Divell and deliver them who through feare of death were all their life time subject to bondage And hence is our Glorification whereby the possession of our eternall inheritance is delivered unto us for Christ was the Executor of the New Testament for this very cause that through the meanes of his death wee might receive the possession of that eternall inheritance to the present right whereof wee are called and justified Heb. 9.15 And for this cause hee is the Mediatour of the New Testament that by meanes of death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first Testament they which are called might receive the promise the promised possession of eternall inheritance Hence also Christ himselfe before his death taught his Disciples the Expediency of his death that it was expedient for them hee should dye for otherwise the Comforter which was the holy Ghost would not come unto them John 16.7 Neverthelesse I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I goe away for if I goe not away the Comforter will not come unto you But if I depart I will send him unto you By his going away and departing hee meanes his dying for wee commonly expresse dying by the words of going away and departing And after his death hee taught them the Necessity of his death that it behoved him to die and rise again from the dead that thereupon the Gospel might be preached in his name Luk. 24.46 And hee sayd unto them thus it is written and thus it behoved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day and that repentance and remission of sinnes should bee preached in his name among all Nations beginning at Jerusalem Thus the immediate proper finall causes or reasons why Christ dyed are chiefely three namely to Testifie the truth of the New Testament to Confirme the force of it and to Execute the decrees of it for unto a Testament once constituted what acts more do necessarily belong then the Testification the Confirmation and the Execution of it But the remote causes of his death might bee many and various For all the actions done by Christ as Mediatour of the New Testament were causes of his death whether wee respect his Prophetick Office in publishing Gods Will preaching his Doctrine and working Miracles or his Priestly Office in sanctifying Believers and expiating their sinnes or his Kingly Office in governing his people and subduing their enemies And all benefits redounding to Believers as the Legacies and Promises of the New Testament were causes of his death as their Justification the Remission of their sinnes their Resurrection and Glorification And all Duties to bee done by Believers as the conditions without which they are not to enjoy their Legacies are the causes of his death as their sanctity or holynesse their dying to sinne and newnesse of life in all the good workes of love But all these and the like are not opposite or repugnant to the three causes by us assigned but are comprehended and included in them are subordinate and consequent to them are collected and inferred from them For because Christ dyed to testifie confirm and execute the New Testament and my sanctity or holinesse is a Precept thereof and a duty by me to be done therefore Christ dyed for my Sanctification that I might dye unto sin and live unto holinesse and consequently he dyed for my patience temperance mercifulnesse c. because these and the like are branches of holinesse And because Christ dyed to testifie confirme and execute the New Testament wherein Remission of sins the Resurrection from the dead and Glorification were devised and promised as Legacies unto Believers therfore Christ also dyed for the Remission of my sins for my Resurrection and Glorification Yet among the remote Causes of Christs death the Scripture doth most frequently mention the Remission of sins Because my sins have the greatest force upon me to bereave or at least to hinder me from the hope of their forgivenes For according to the evidence of reason if I looke upon my sins to consider the custome and foulenesse of them how can I chuse but feare that I have deserved a fearfull punishment and that God in his Justice will inflict it on me Or if I looke upon my death to consider my dissolution and rottennesse in the Grave how can I hope that God whom I
am mortified and dead onely in respect of my lusts which are unruly and sinfull motions of my flesh or sensuall appetite but in respect of my love and other holy motions proceeding from my spirit or rationall Will I am vivified and quickned Wherefore I am dead and aliue in respect of different faculties of my soule because the death of one faculty is the life of the other for the death of my flesh is the life of my spirit This kinde of death and life not only may but needs must consist comply and stand together in me for in effect and substance this death and life are but one and the same thing which under contrary names make up in mee that one and the same thing which is sanctity or holinesse For as in a journey there seem two contrarieties namely a departing from one place and a travelling to another yet really and in effect both these are but one and the same journey differing onely in tearmes of recesse from one place and accesse to another yet the motion interceding betweene those distant places is one and the same Or as in curing the body of some disease there seeme two contrary actions namely an expelling of the disease and an inducing of health yet really and in effect both these make but one and the same cure So in my Repentance regeneration renovation sanctification or by what names soever the Scriptures call the cure of my soule there seem two contrarietyes namely my forsaking of sin or dying to it and my approching to holinesse or living to God yet really and in effect both these are but one and the same conversation or walking Hence it appeares that mortification and vivification are really but one and the same motion making up in me that one and the same morall alteration which is my sanctification yet there is between them a rationall difference in 3 respects 1. Of their order for in order of nature or reason though not of time or continuance mortification is first for that beginneth that consequently vivification may follow 2. Of their object for the matter mortified is sin but that vivified is holines 3. Of the subject for the faculty mortified is the flesh but that vivified is the spirit Yet the faculty of my flesh is not mortified for the essence of it but for some qualityes of it for the faculty of the flesh doth also live in mee as much as that of the spirit for although unto some motions my flesh bee deaded yet unto some others it still liveth and conduceth to usefull and lawfull effects in mee For as in the killing of quick-silver the silver remaines after the killing it and serves for severall uses but that malignity ferity or quicknes of the silver which in the use thereof would prove noxious and hurtfull is extinguished and deaded So in the Mortifying of my flesh the faculty remaines after the mortifying and lives in me to divers good purposes but that fiercenes rashnes and quicknes of my appetite the lusts and frauds of it whereby it would usurpe over my Spirit to reigne and rule in me these qualities and motions of my appetite are mortified and extinguished that thereby she may become obedient and serviceable unto my spirit for the better speeding of many holy duties And so when a horse is made to amble his motion lives in him still but the trot of his motion is deaded and a pace is put upon it that moves with more ease to the rider Yet not I. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. no more I or no longer I the same man that I was before I was justified when sin lived in me For elswhere the very same words are translated No more I as Rom. 7.17 Now then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. it is no more I that doe it but sin that dwelleth in me And Rom. 7.20 Now if I doe that I would not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. it is no more I that doe it but sin that dwelleth in mee And in this very place our former English translation which was in use before that of King James hath it thus not I any more q. d. Though after my crucifying or mortifying I live yet I am not any more the man that I was before neither doe I live any longer the life I did when living a naturall and carnall life sinne lived in mee and over-ruled mee For the man that I was is now mortified and dead unto sinne it is crucified as Christ was crucified and because hee was crucified But now there is a great alteration in my morall life or conversation for my old man which was naturall and carnall being dead I am now become a new man and a new creature to live a life which is spirituall and christian For in vaine I professe my selfe a Christian unlesse I become a new creature 2. Cor. 5.17 Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature For neither Ceremony nor not-Ceremony nor any thing else availeth in Christ but onely this to become a new creature Gal. 6.15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature But Christ liveth in mee Not by his Person for so hee lives in Heaven sitting at the right hand of God But hee lives in mee by his spirit for his spirit infused into mee inspireth my spirit inlightning my minde animating my will and governing my actions to a life of holynesse whereto my single spirit in her naked state of nature could never of her selfe elevate and raise mee For unto my spirit the spirit of Christ is a Light a Strength and a Guide by whom I am lead and after whom I walke in the wayes of holynesse And Christ lives in mee by his life for as his death was the cause and paterne of my death whereby I am mortified with him So his life is the cause and paterne of my life whereby I am vivified with him For the holynesse of his life hath such an influence upon mine that according to the measure of grace and of my ability in my mortall condition I labour to bee holy as hee was holy that I may imitate and resemble his holynesse though I can not equall it However hee is the Rule whereby I live for I live not after mine owne will but after his and hee is the End for which I live for I live not unto my selfe to seeke my selfe but unto him to seeke him who dyed for mee and I therefore live thus because he dyed for mee For a like phrase to this is that 2. Cor. 5.15 And that hee dyed for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which dyed for them and rose againe And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. But in that I now live in the flesh For so it is rendred in the Vulgar Latine in the Vulgar
in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thankes to God and the father through him When I live thus ordering my humane actions in this maner and to this end then I may truly say of my selfe In that I now live in the flesh I live in the faith of the son of God as it followeth in the next words Of the Son of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. I live in the faith or religion in that faith or religion of the son of God The particle that being placed after faith doth emphatically determine and specifie the Author of that faith and religion wherein he lived namely in that of the Son of God And there is another emphasis in the article affecting the son 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. in that faith or religion of that Son of God that hee might lay out a singular designation of Christ in distinguishing him from other sons of God For he hath reference unto that person whom in this verse hee had before mentioned by the name of Christ in saying I am crucified with Christ and Christ liveth in me Heere therefore hee againe mentions the same person by another name in saying I live in the faith or religion in that of that Son of God who loved mee and gave himselfe for me i.e. of Christ for these words are an eloquent and affectionat circumlocution or description of Christ Wherein are expressed two excellencyes or eminent qualityes of Christ the one of his Birth in relation to God that he was the Son of God the other of his death in relation to man whom he so loved that he dyed for his sake Every Angel every Prophet and every Believer is A son of God but Christ is The or That son of God in a most eminent and singular maner above all other persons that are sons of God whether they be men or Angels Because to omit all other reasons not serving to the Apostles scope in this place hee was begotten on a Virgin not by the power of any man or Angel but by the power of the Highest for as the Angel Gabriel certifies the Virgin Mary his mother Luke 1.35 hee was therefore called the Son of God And heere the Apostle understands no other filiation of Christ then that whereby he was a mortall man because hee argues from his death in saying who loved mee and gave himselfe to death for mee Hee describeth Christ by this attribute of the Son of God that thereby he might expresse another cause that moved him to forsake the Law and Religion of Moses to embrace the faith and Religion of Christ and thereby to regulate all the actions of his life namely because Christ is the Son of God Which first argues for his person that Christ is a person of farre greater dignity then Moses For although Moses were a great Prophet yet his ordinary stile in reference to God runnes but thus that hee was the servant of God and the man of God But the constant title and stile of Christ is to bee the Son of God For from this very difference of condition the Apostle argues the high prerogative of Christ above that of Moses Heb. 3.5 And Moses verily was faithfull in all his house as a servant c. but Christ as a sonne over his owne house And secondly heereby hee highly commends the Religion introduced by Christ beyond that which was setled by Moses as a Religion and service more agreeable to the will and pleasure of God For the Authour to the Hebrewes doth in this respect exalt the Religion of Christ in that God hath delivered the message thereof by his Sonne Heb. 1.1.2 God who spake in time past unto the Fathers by the Prophets hath in these last dayes spoken unto us by his son Hence it will easily bee collected that the Religion of Moses being but the servant of God was but a servile Religion for the services thereof were very servile Heb. 9.10 which stood onely in meates and drinkes and divers washings and carnall ordinances imposed on them untill the time of Reformation Hence that whole Religion is called Rom. 8.15 The spirit of bondage to feare because it wrought in the people a passion of slavish feare such as they commonly have who live under bondage or servitude Hence also the services thereof are called Gal. 4.3 the Elements or Rudiments of the World under which as under Tutors and Governours the Jewes though they were the adopted Children and Heyres of God were held in bondage in a condition nothing different from servants But the Religion of Christ who is that sonne of God is a filial liberall and noble Religion whose services are fitted for the sonnes of God according to the state and degree of sonnes in their plenage who are come to their perfect growth and fullnesse of time For so it followeth in the place fore-cited But when the fulnesse of time was come God sent forth his sonne to redeeme them that were under the Law in the condition of children and servants that they might receive the adoption of sonnes i. e. That they might receive their emancipation from the state of children to have their liberature according to the state and degree of sonnes in their plenage or full age The highest dignity which the Scripture ascribes to the Law or Religion of Moses is taken from the Publication of it in that it was ordayned and spoken by Angels and yet even in this respect she preferres the Religion of Christ before it because this was ordayned and spoken by that son of God who is the Lord not only of men but also of the Angels Heb. 2.2 For if the word spoken by Angels was stedfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward How shall wee escape if wee neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord Who loved me and gave himselfe for me Heere hee addeth the other attribute or eminent quality of Christ expressing thereby another motive that caused him to forsake the Religion of Moses and to embrace that of Christ namely because Christ had thereto endeared him by dying for him who sayth he loved me and gave himselfe to death for me Whereby he would insinuate that Christ was far more excellent then Moses not only for the dignity of his person in being the Son of God but also for the dearenesse of his affection in dying for Beleevers for neyther of those are true of Moses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. And delivered himselfe for me Yet heere and elsewhere it is well enough translated gave himselfe because the words give and deliver when they are used in this sense are many times interchanged and one put for the other But in the word Deliver standing thus single and applied to a person there is commonly an ellipsis or defect which is to be supplyed according to the exigency of the matter in hand and which for the most part is some evill
God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ Hence also it appeares that the divine service of invocation or prayers is due unto Christ Because this salutation heere is an invocation though indirectly framed wherein Paul prayes for grace and peace unto the Galatians from God and from Christ For Christ as it is evident from these words and from the like in other places wherein the government and care of Gods Church is ascribed unto him doth know the wants and the desires of the faithfull and therefore also doth heare their votes and prayers Now the knowledge and the audience of such things is a ground sufficient for invocation or prayer to bee made unto Christ especially seeing his knowledge and audience are seconded with a power and a will whereby hee is able and ready to helpe and to save those Believers who call upon him Hence Christ commands his Disciples to pray in his name and promiseth to effect their prayer John 14.13 Whatsoever yee shall aske in my name that will I doe that the Father may bee glorified by the Sonne If yee shall aske any thing in my name I will doe it This Invocation was preached by Steven when hee was stoned Act. 7.59 And they stoned Stephen calling and saying Lord Jesus receive my Spirit And practised by Paul when there was given him a thorne in the flesh 2 Cor. 12.8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me They therefore are in an errour who to barre Christ from the honour of Invocation doe read this Text thus From God our Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ referring the Pronoune Our unto God the Father and thereupon construing the words as if the Apostle prayed for grace and peace from the Father onely and not from Christ But would onely intimate that God is the common Father of us and of Christ But this construction is not onely against the sense of the words but also against reason For it is not reason that when the Apostle would call God the Father of Christ and also our Father hee should then first call him our Father before hee called him the Father of Christ Especially in a passage where he intends to magnifie the honour of Christ as by the verse following where he expresly calls God our Father it appeares he intends it This place therefore and the like wherein the Pronoune Our in reference to the Father is omitted doth wholly oppose this construction VERSE 4. Text. Who gave himselfe for our sinnes that hee might deliver us from this present evill world according to the will of God and our Father Sense Who gave himselfe viz. Unto death and died For our sinnes i. e. For the remission or forgivenesse of our sinnes by confirming through his death Gods last Will and Testament wherin the Remission of sinnes was devised unto us That he might deliver us i. e. That he might separate or withdraw us From this present evill world i. e. From the evill of this present world or from the present sinfulnesse or wickednesse commonly practised by the men of this present world In a word That he might draw us to Repentance or holinesse of life or sanctifie us According to the will of God i. e. According to the last Will and Testament of God who therein had expressed his mind and purpose for the Death of Christ for the Remission of our sinnes and for our repentance Of God and our Father i. e. Of God who is our Father viz. By vertue of his last Will and Testament wherein he hath adopted or justified us to be his sonnes and heires Reason Having in the former verse stiled Christ our Lord hee gives heere a tacit reason why hee stiled him so shewing by what right or title he is so namely by right of Redemption Because Christ through his death wrought for us a double deliverance one from the punishment of our sinnes by the remission or forgivenesse of them the other from the servitude of sinne by our Repentance and forsaking of them And further he declares that these three things viz. the Death of Christ the Remission of our sinnes and our Repentance are consequent suitable and according to the last Will and Testament of God wherein these things were thus ordayned Heere therefore are described two finall causes ends or effects of Christs death first the Remission of our sinnes and secondly our Repentance from sin Yet so as the latter is an end or effect subordinate to the former and the condition of it for our sins are remitted or forgiven to this end and upon this condition that wee should Repent and forsake them And unto these finall causes is annexed the efficient cause of Christs death that it was not meerely according to the will of the Jewes who put him to death but it was according to the will of God who in his last Will and Testament had decreed his death for the ends and effects heere specified By all which he would intimate unto the Galatians that for their salvation they were not to adhere unto Moses and to the Ceremonies of the Law according to Gods old testament but must depend upon Christ and the benefits by his death according to Gods last Wil and Testament For Paul intends these words as an Evangelicall attribute or description of Christ our Lord as before ver 1. the words who raysed him from the dead were an Evangelicall attribute unto God the Father Comment Giving is put for Dying The word Remission is sometime silenced sometime expressed sometime implied by Taking away and Bearing away Christ was not punished for our sinnes but onely tooke and bare away the punishment from us as hee tooke away sicknesses and diseases Christs death causeth the forgivenesse of our sinnes and our Repentance which is a Deliverance from sinfulnesse which is wickednes not Locally but Morally Deliverance from evill in the Lords Prayer The nature of Repentance which is really all one with holynesse The Motive to it is our Forgivenes 2 Reasons of it 1 Repentance is the purpose of Forgivenes 2 Repentance is the condition of it and an adequate condition of it Examples of the former Christ is to be Judge of our Repentance Yet he will judge of it in mercy The Alliance between remission and Repentāce Gods will is his Affection Decree Purpose Covenant and Testament Yet so taken chiefely in the Gospell And so here for 3 Reasons And is the efficient cause of Christs death But the principall efficient is God by meanes of the New Testament 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 the Testator the Executor the Forme the Apparance the Legataries the Legacies and Conditions God is our Father Jurally and Morally and to be stiled our Father VVHO gave himselfe Wee must heere supply the word unto death which many times in Scripture is silenced but is supposed and must bee understood when the words of giving himselfe are ascribed unto Christ Of whom they signifie that his death was not wholly
compulsory on the Jewes and Pilates part but also voluntary on his own part by yeelding himselfe unto death From which if he would have shunned it he could easily have rescued himselfe not only by his owne single power but Matt. 26.53 by the ayd of more then twelve Legions of Angels which at his request his Father would have presently given him but hee willingly yeelded and gave himselfe up to death So the word unto death must be understood Ephes 5.2 Walke in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himselfe for us viz. unto death as the words immediatly following declare it And Ephes 5.25 Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himselfe for it viz. unto death And 1. Tim. 2.6 Christ gave himselfe a ransome for all i. e. Gave himselfe unto death And Tit. 2.14 Christ gave himselfe for us that he might redeeme us from all iniquity i. e. Gave himselfe unto death For our sinnes Heere againe another word must be supplied which in many places of Scripture is silenced but yet supposed and understood because in other places it is mentioned And that word is Remission or forgivenesse that Christ gave himselfe unto death for the remission or forgivenesse of our sinnes So the word Remission must be understood Rom. 4.25 who was delivered for our offences i. e. Was delivered unto death for the remission or forgivenesse of our offences for this sense is declared by the words immediatly following and rose againe for our justification And 1. Cor. 15.3 I delivered unto you how that Christ died for our sinnes i. e. For the remission of our sinnes And Heb. 10.12 But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sinnes for ever i. e. For the Remission of sinnes for ever For when in other places of Scripture our sinnes are referred to the death of Christ or unto his bloud being put for his death the word Remission is mentioned expresly As Matt. 26.28 This is my bloud of the new Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sinnes And Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth to bee a propitiation through faith in his bloud to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of sinnes that are past And Ephes 1.7 In whom wee have redemption through his bloud the forgivenesse of sinnes according to the riches of his grace All which sayings and the like are explications or comments upon these words of Paul heer who gave himselfe for our sinnes Sometime the word Remission is not mentioned expresly but implicitly by substituting in stead thereof some other word therto equivalent as the word Taking away for the Remission or forgivenesse of sinnes is nothing else but A taking away of that punishment which by the Law is due unto sin Hence John 1.29 Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world Heere Christ is compared to a Lamb in respect of his death for sin which by his death is taken away i. e. is remitted or forgiven And 1. John 3.5 Ye know that he was manifested to take away our sinnes i. e. To remit or forgive our sinnes And the word Bearing which when it is applied unto Christ in respect of sin signifieth bearing away i.e. taking away from us the punishment of sin which is all one with Remission or forgivenesse As Esay 53.11 By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many and shall beare their iniquities And againe in the next verse following Hee was numbred with the transgressors and bare the sin of many i. e. He shall and did beare away or take away from many the punishment of their iniquities and sinnes which in one word is the Remission or forgivenesse of their sins And 1. Pet. 2.24 Who his owne self bare our sinnes in his own body on the tree i. e. Tooke away from us the punishment of our sins Yet Christ did not take the punishment of our sinnes upon himselfe to beare and suffer in himselfe the punishment due to us for our sinnes for he was not punished in our stead for our sinnes but he only tooke away or bare away from us the punishment of them without inflicting it upon himselfe The certainty of this truth for this sense of these two words taking and bearing is taught us by Matthew for when the Prophet had sayd Esay 53.4 Surely he hath borne our griefes and carried our sorrowes Matthew cites this upon the miracles of Christ in healing all that were sick saying Matt. 8.17 Himselfe tooke our infirmities and bare our sickenesses Now in healing the sicke Christ did not so take their infirmities and beare their sicknesses as to be infirme or sicke himselfe but he only tooke away or bare away from the sick their infirmities and sicknesses For when a Physitian cureth a disease he doth not take it unto himself to be sick of it himself but he only takes it away from the Patient So Christ in dying for our sins took not unto himself the punishment of thē to beare or suffer the punishment himself but he only took away and bare away from us the punishment of our sins And when by the meanes of the Physitian the disease is taken from the Patient it is not necessary it should be layd on the Physitian or on any body else for it sufficeth if the disease be abolished So when by the means of Christ the punishment of sin is taken away from sinners it is not necessary it should bee layd upon Christ or on any else because it is finally abolished For the punishment of sin is eternall death which is already abolished in grant or promise and shall be abolished in esse at the Resurrection for death is the last enemy that shall be destroyed Our sinnes then are not the efficient cause of Christs death for Christ died not to be punished for them but his death is an efficient cause of the Remission or forgivenesse of our sinnes for by the meanes of his death the punishment of our sinnes is taken away or borne away And consequently the Remission of our sinnes is a finall cause end or effect of Christs death yet not immediat or proximous but a remote effect For as shall bee more largely declared cap. 2. ver 21. the immediat or proximous finall causes ends or effects of Christs death were to testifie to confirm and to execute the last Will and Testament of God whereof one article is the Remission of our sinnes which by way of Legacy is therein devised or promised unto us Christ then gave himselfe to death for our sinnes partly because by his death he testified and confirmed the new Testament wherein the right of Remission of sinnes is given us for that Testament being confirmed becomes of force and we by meanes of our faith have a present right to the future forgivenesse of our sinnes And partly because through his death he was made perfect with power to execute that Testament that he might actually
trespas-offering 3. Because Repentance which is heere called a Deliverance from the evill of this present World was according to no other will of God then his last Will and Testament for the Old Testament granted not the benefit of Repentance for any sinne but the transgressor of a penall Law must by the Law undergoe the penalty of it whether hee repented or not in which respect the Law was armed and strengthned with divers penalties whereof the most were capitall and from which no Repentance could excuse the Offendour These words then shew the efficient cause of Christs death as those immediately before declared the finall cause of it and these heere seeme added by way of answer to a tacit objection for some man might say or thinke that Christ indeed gave himselfe to death and it on purpose to confirme the New Testament but his death might proceede from the violence of the Jewes who put him to death and not from any Ordinance of God that his death should bee effectuall to that end To this the Apostle answers fully and plainely that it was the will counsell and purpose of God according to his last Will and Testament that Christ should dye for the confirmation of that Testament to this end that accordingly our sinnes might bee forgiven and our sinnes are forgiven to this further end that thenceforth wee should repent by forsaking the workes of sinne for all this was according to the last Will and Testament of God the Father For the forgivenesse of our sinnes is not the sole act or deede of Christ but principally of God the Father unto whom Christ is therein Ministeriall receiving power and command from his Father to performe all acts conducing to that effect Because the forgivenesse of our sinnes is a legacy devised or promised unto us in Gods last Will and Testament whereof Christ is the Executor or Mediator Now the Authour or principall cause of every Legacy is the Testatour according to whose will it is devised and the Executor is the hand or meane whereby the Legacy is conveyed for a Legacy according to the nature of it is a gift devised by the Testator to bee performed by the Executor And this forgivenesse of sinnes is the most necessary Legacy or promise above all the rest contained in Gods last Wil and Testament Because without it wee can never enjoy any of the rest for unlesse our sinnes bee forgiven wee can never attaine the Resurrection of the body and without our Resurrection wee cannot enjoy life everlasting So likewise our Repentance or Holynesse is the Precept or Command of Gods last Will and Testament for throughout the whole body of that Testament Holynesse is made the condition of the Legacies or Promises which are thereby so suspended that without it 〈…〉 of no effect Thus forgivenesse and repentance 〈◊〉 â—â—â—ording to the will of God for forgivenesse is acâ—…g to the promise of his will and repentance is according to the precept of his will as the condition whereupon the promise is to bee performed Hence it appears that The Gospel is the last Will and Testament of God Which saying is soone delivered but not so soone proved For indeede it can never bee proved Yet not therefore because it is false but therefore because it is so true and the truth of it so high that there is no cause or reason above it why it is true For this truth is a prime verity which wee call a principle and it is a prime principle which wee call a definition See therefore in it an exact and easie definition of the Gospel Nominally indeede the Gospel signifies glad tydings or good newes but really it is the name of Gods last Will and Testament Although then some Grammaticall or nominall cause may bee given for the single words why it is called the Gospel or why a Testament Yet for the verity why one is affirmed of the other there is no rationall or reall cause because the affirmation is a definition Which definition though it cannot bee proved may easily bee declared thus A Testament is a Decree of things to bee executed after death and God who himselfe cannot dye may make a Testament because hee may make a Decree of things to bee executed after the death not of himselfe but of another God hath made two severall Testaments whereof the first is called by the name of the Law and the last by the name of the Gospel Where by the way wee have also an exact definition of the Law thus the Law is the first Will and Testament of God Yet wee may note that throughout the Scripture the Law is not called the will of God not that it was not his will for being his Testament it must therefore needes bee also his will but because it was not his good will as is the Gospel wherein are devised unto us far better blessings The Testatour who is the Authour of this Will and who framed it is God the Father for heere and constantly elsewhere it is called the will of God The Executor or principall Heire upon whom this will is grounded is Jesus Christ for hee is the person who receives the maine benefit thereby and who is to performe it by discharging the Legacies which are therein charged upon him The death whereto this will was limited was the death of Christ for Christ was the substitute of God to dye instead of God that by the death of Christ the Testament of God might bee confirmed to bee and stand in force for ever till the finall execution of it For a Testament is of force after men are dead and not before The forme of this Will was Nuncupative or a Will-parol for at the constitution of it God first declared it unto Christ and Christ published it to his Apostles and they afterward consigned unto writing whereby it became that part of the holy Scripture which wee call the New Testament The apparence or certainety of this will that it is the whole true and last will of God was effected by the testimony of Christ who made sufficient and full proofe thereof by his Doctrine his Miracles his Death and Resurrection for all Wills have their apparance or certainety either by writing or witnesse as the Old Testament appeared by the writing of Moses and the New by the witnesse of Christ The Legataries who in this Will are made the co-heires with Christ are all men who are Beleevers or who through Christ beleeve in God for in Gods Will men are nominated by no other name then by the appellative or common name of Beleevers The Legacies or promises made unto Beleevers in this Will are the Graces and blessings of Adoption to bee the sonnes of God of sanctification by the Spirit of God of the Remission of their sinnes of the Resurrection of their bodies and of Everlasting life in heaven for unto all these blessings Beleevers are called and justified to have a present right to the future possession
being made severall yeares before the act of his calling had without all question thereto annexed such conditions as were sutable to the wisdome and righteousnesse of God as particularly this condition that before his actuall calling hee should not render himselfe altogether unworthy of so sacred a Function whereof hee made himselfe unworthy in a manner and enough to acquit God of his decree or designe because hee was a blasphemer and a persecutor and had made himselfe unworthy altogether if hee had beene a blasphemer wittingly and willfully against the knowledge and motion of his conscience for of such a sinne Christ affirmeth that it shall never bee forgiven Mat. 12.32 And if such a sinne must never bee forgiven much lesse must the person polluted with such a sinne bee called to a Function so sacred for if hee were not meete to bee called an Apostle because hee persecuted the Church of God as himselfe argues 1. Cor. 15.9 much lesse had hee beene meete for it if hee had persecuted wittingly and willfully But his calling to his Apostleship was an act of Gods meere grace proceeding from the good pleasure of God For as the Decree for his calling when hee was separated from his Mothers wombe came out from the good pleasure of God So the act of his calling afterward had the same good pleasure for the ground of it Or as Paul tearmes it elsewhere it was an act of Gods mercy and Gods mercy is also his grace seeing all mercy is grace for although hee were a blasphemer a persecutor and injurious yet hee obtained mercy because hee did it ignorantly in unbeliefe 1. Tim. 1.13 Whereby he tacitly intimates that hee had not obtained mercy if hee had done it in knowledge and malice Yet Pauls ignorance was not the cause of that mercy but onely the condition which qualified him for it for the cause of it was because Christ had a purpose upon Paul to make him a patterne of his mercy and long-suffering to them which should heereafter believe on him to life everlasting 1. Tim. 1.16 Pauls title then to his Apostleship was onely grace and so wholly grace that very frequently in his Epistles hee not onely denominates it from grace but nominates and calls it grace See and compare Rom. 1.5 and Rom. 15.15.16 and 1. Cor. 3.10 and Gal. 2.9 and Ephes 3.7.8 VERSE 16. Text. To reveale his Sonne in mee that I might preach him among the Heathen immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood Sense In mee i. e. To mee and by mee Among the Heathen i. e. The Gentiles Immediately I conferred not i. e. Then upon my calling I discovered not or related not or reported not that I was called and Christ revealed to mee c. With flesh and blood i. e. to any mortall man Reason The words shew the matter of Gods pleasure toward Paul namely to reveale his sonne to him that hee might preach him among the Heathen and consequently they shew the manner of Pauls carriage thereupon that then for the present hee did not discover or reveale the matter to any mortall man Comment God revealed Christ by the meanes of Christ who is the Son of God and a Mystery Christ was revealed to Paul and by Paul to the Gentiles whose Apostle he was chiefely though sometime he preached to the Jews Flesh and blood put for mortall man Paul discovered not his Apostleship immediately upon his calling to it and the reason why he did not TO reveale his son in me This co-heres with the beginning of the former verse thus When it pleased God to reveal his son in me i. e. to make the mystery of his son known unto mee for so elsewhere Paul himselfe seemes to expound these words heere and particularly the word Reveale See Eph. 3.3 His son i. e. Jesus Christ for this was intimated before vers 12. where the Apostle apologized for the Gospel he preached that he received it not of man neither was taught it but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ and although it be sayd there that Christ revealed the Gospel unto him and heere that God revealed Christ unto him and that these two sayings signifie distinct actions yet both these sayings and both the actions thereby signified come to one effect thus That God by the meanes of Christ revealed Christ and his Gospel to Paul or Christ according to the will of God revealed himselfe and his Gospel to Paul for as ver 1. hee had his Apostleship from God by Christ so by these two verses it appeares that hee had his revelation from God by Christ And therefore of this revelation unto Paul God was the principall authour who appointed it and Christ was both the Instrument and Matter of it so that the issue comes to this That God by Christ revealed Christ to Paul Now Christ is called and is the son of God by way of singular eminency as the article the declares unto us because he is so in a most peculiar and excellent maner through severall degrees of eminency far beyond all other Men and Angels who in some maner and degree are also the sons of God for the Saints are the sons of God by their justificatiō or adoptiō into that son-hood which unto Christ is naturall and whence they are made coheirs with Christ And Christ as the son of God is a mystery or a secret person the knowledge of whom is veyled covered or hidden from the world for Christ and his gospel is called the mystery of God the mystery of Gods will and the mystery which was kept secret since the world began See Rom. 11.25 and Ephes 1.9 and Col. 4.3 Hence Christ especially since he was crucified is sayd to be unto the Jewes a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishnesse because unto them both hee was a mystery veyled and covered from their knowledge And this mystery of Christ to bee the son of God was not originally made known by any naturall means from any mortall man but was by God himselfe and by him only first revealed and discovered because of God alone it is the prerogative and property to reveal secrets And God revealed Christ to be his son at severall times to severall persons as unto John the Baptist who bare record of Christ that hee was the son of God for God who sent him to baptize sayd it unto him John 1.33.34 and unto the Apostles by name unto Peter who confessed Christ to be the son of the living God for not flesh and bloud but God the Father revealed that unto him Mat. 16.16.17 And unto Paul to whom the mystery of Christ was made known by revelation Eph. 3.3.4.5 In me The Greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is an Hebraisme commonly put for unto me See 1. Cor. 14.11 where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 answers to a single dative but joyned heer with the Verbe revealed seems to signifie something more then externally unto for it intimates that the knowledge of Christ was
somewhat obscure and farre remote from Jerusalem or because all commerce and passage of Letters was stopped by reason of the persecution then reigning about Jerusalem I went up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. I returned which hee therefore sayth because Jerusalem was the place of his habitation or ordinary residence from whence he set forth with authority to persecute the Saints at Damascus and now after three yeares he returned from thence to Jerusalem q. d. When I had already executed my Apostleship for the space of three yeares in Preaching the Gospel for the most part of that time in Arabia and for some dayes at Damascus and had thereby given sufficient proofe both of my Apostleship and of my knowledge in the mystery of Christ then after those three years were expired because I was persecuout of Damascus I returned to Jerusalem Wherby he necessarily concludes that he returned not to Jerusalem for any instruction to preach the Gospel because for the space of three yeares he had already Preached it To see Peter The Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. to visit Peter the word is no where else used in all the New Testament and properly signifies that kind of seeing which by the Opticks is tearmed â—â—â—ustus i. e. insight which is a diligent and ferious observance of a thing eying the whole and every part and marking all that is to be seene thereby to get an exact and perfect knowledge thereof as if we meant to write a history of it The practise of this insight made upon Cities and Countries is called Surveying but done upon persons out of civill respect is tearmed visiting Yet the visit heere given by Paul unto Peter was not a visitation by way of authority but a Salutation by way of observance or brotherly kindnesse to know and bee knowne unto that Apostle who was of singular authority and eminency not only in Jerusalem but in all that part of the Church which lay within the Jewish pale and of extraordinary fame throughout the whole Church For what could bee more comfortable to all the Disciples of Christ and more sutable in it selfe then that two such great Apostles of Christ who were the two principall Doctors and as it were the two pillars of the Church should joyne their eyes and hands in the mutuall knowledge and acquaintance one of another The cause therefore of Pauls departure from Damascus was his persecution from thence by the Governour and the Jewes who insidiated his life and the cause of his accesse unto Jerusalem at that time was only to give Peter a visit and to bee known unto so great an Apostle q. d. The end of my then going to Jerusalem and personally to Peter was not for Instruction to learne any thing of him but for acquaintance to visit him and to be known unto him And abode with him fifteene dayes The space of time how long for that time he abode at Jerusalem was only a for might which saying heere although in the letter it be History yet in the purpose of the Apostle it is a Reason to prove the truth of his former words that his comming to Jerusalem to see Peter was only to see and visit him because hee abode with him but fifteene dayes and further he thereby also concludes his principall point that the Gospel which he preached was not humane but divine q. d. The space of a forâ—ight was a time too narrow for mâ—… learne divine mysteries by the meanes of humane instruction and therefore my knowledge in the Gospel whereby I became a Teacher of the Gentiles could not be acquisitive to bee gayned by study or by the help of man no not of Peter himselfe the most eminent person in the Church of Christ but must needs be infusive to be operated in me only by the pleasure of God and to be wrought in my soul by revelation What the Apostle did besides at Jerusalem during those fifteen dayes namely how hee exercised his Ministery privatly yet boldly in disputing against the Grecians or Proselites of Jerusalem till they went about to kill him is related by Luke Act. 9.28.29 But why the Apostle abode at Jerusalem no longer then fifteen dayes and why he preached not there publikely to the Jewes during that time himselfe gives the reason elsewhere namely because the Jewes of Jerusalem would not receive his testimony concerning Christ as Christ in a vision had revealed it unto him in the Temple at Jerusalem where during his abode of fifteene dayes hee was praying and in a trance for because of this malignity in the Jewes of Jerusalem he neyther preached nor stayed there but was commanded to make haste and get him quickly out of Jerusalem Act. 22.17.18 VERSE 19. Text. But other of the Apostles saw I none save James the Lords brother Sense The Lords brother i. e. Cosin-germane Reason An answer to a tacite objection that might bee made against his former words concerning Peter q. d. If any man shall heereupon object against me that although at that time I received no instruction from Peter yet I might have it from some other of the Apostles To this I must further professe for a truth that during my abode at Jerusalem those fifteene dayes I saw no other of the Apostles save James the lesse our Lords kinseman and cosin-germane and him I saw no otherwayes then by way of visit as I did Peter James the Brother of Christ This James is called the Lords brother by an Hebruisme because he was his cosin-germane being the son of Alpheus alias Cleopas by his wife Mary who was sister to Mary our Lords mother See and compare Mat. 10.3 and Mat. 13.55 and Marc. 3.18 and Marc. 15.40 and Luke 6.15 and John 19.25 and Act. 1.13 And this title of being our Lords brother was given him for distinction to notifie him from James the son of Zebedee and brother of John At that time of Pauls being at Jerusalem he saw no other of the Apostles but Peter and James but at another time many yeares afterward being at Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus he mentions John also as it will appeare in the next Chapter verse 9. VERSE 20. Text. Now the things which I write unto you behold before God I lye not Sense Which I write unto you Supply the sense thus are true or certaine Reason A Confirmation of all his former Narrative by testifying his words upon his Oath or rather by his Oath calling God to testifie them Comment A solemne Oath ascertory NOw the things which I write unto you These words must have the supply of some predicate or attribute to compleate or perfect the sense of them which may be thus the things which I write unto you are not faigned but most true and certaine and the words for their proper antecedent must be referred to the words at the beginning of the 15. verse before But when it pleased God c. for the things wherto he
glory for ever and ever Amen vers 5. 2. History Paul marvels that the Galatians are so soone removed from Christ who called them by his grace vers 6. 1. Because the Gospel wherto they were removed was not another but only there were some who troubled them and would pervert the Gospel of Christ vers 7. 2. Because though Paul himselfe or an Angel from heaven should preach any other Gospel then hee had preached to the Galatians he was to bee accursed ver 8.9 3. Because the matter which he therein perswaded was not man but God against whom he that shall seeke to please men cannot be the servant of Christ ver 10. 3. History The Gospel which Paul Preached was not humane or after man ver 11. 1. Because hee neither received nor was taught it by man ver 12. 2. Because he received and was taught it by the revelation of Jesus Christ ver eod 3. Because during his former conversation in the Jewish religion he excessively persecuted the Church of God and wasted it ver 13. 4. Because he prevayled for the Jewes religion above many his contemporaries among his owne nation being more exceedingly zealous for the ceremonies of Moses and the Jewish traditions ver 14. 5. Because it pleased God who designed him a separate Apostle from his mothers wombe and called him by his grace to reveale his sonne unto him that hee might preach among the Gentiles ver 15.16 4. History When Paul was called to preach Christ among the Gentiles he did not immediatly confer with flesh and bloud ver 16. 1. Because from Damascus where hee was called hee went not immediatly to Jerusalem to them who were Apostles before him ver 17. 2. Because immediatly hee went from Damascus into Arabia and from thence returned to Damascus v. eod 3. Because it was three yeares after he had preached the Gospel before he went to Jerusalem to see Peter with whom he abode but fifteene dayes and there saw no other Apostle save only James our Lords brother ver 18.19 4. Because he would take his oath before God that these things were true and that he lied not ver 20. 5. Because from Jerusalem hee came into the Regions of Syria and Cilicia for unto the Churches of Judea he was unknown by face but only they had heard of him that now he preached the fayth which before he wasted and they glorified God for him ver 21.22.23.24 GAL. CHAP. 2. VERSE 1. Text. Then fourteene yeares after I went up againe to Jerusalem with Barnabas and tooke Titus with mee also Sense Fourteene yeares after Viz. After my conversion Againe i. e. Besides my journy thither three yeares after my conversion Reason A prosecution of his former argument to prove the Divinity of his Ministery and Doctrine because in a solemne Synod or Assembly of the Apostles and Elders at Jerusalem whereat himselfe was present and wherein were made speciall Acts concerning the Ceremonies of the Law there was nothing added by the Apostles to the Doctrine which hee had taught nor any act done that declared his Doctrine in any one point either redundant or defective but rather both his Ministery and Doctrine received in that Synod a full approbation whereby hee would infer that he was inferiour to none of the Apostles Comment The tearme from these yeares are to be reckoned probably from Pauls conversion The eminency of Jerusalem Pauls several journies thither 1. To visite Peter 2. To carry almes 3. To call a Synod there concerning circumcision This last why mentioned and why Titus accompanied him THen foureteene yeares after The Greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Literally foureteene years betweene or the space of fourteene interposed but the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is heere put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies after and is truely so rendred for so yee have it Mat. 26.61 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. After three dayes and Mar. 2.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. After some dayes and Act. 24.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. After many yeares But from whence or from what tearme of time these fourteene years are to bee computed whether from Pauls first conversion to the faith or from his former being at Jerusalem to visit Peter three yeares after his conversion which hee mentioned before cap. 1.18 it appeares not from Scripture neither is the knowledge thereof any way elementary or serviceable to the poynt heere prosecuted or to any other poynt elsewhere in Scripture heereby to bee illustrated Yet the greater probability of the two is that these yeares are to bee reckoned from Pauls conversion 1. Because Pauls conversion was a most memorable action especially unto Paul and fit to stand for an epocha unto him from whence hee had good cause to compute all the acts of his Ministery during his life for all epochaes are fixed at a time of some notable conversion in the World that from thence in the memory thereof future times may afterward bee computed 2. Because the yeares remaining betweene this journy to Jerusalem and his last thither when there hee was apprehended and afterward sent Prisoner to Rome will bee too few for those many actions and travells which by Luke are recorded of him especially if wee consider that of those few yeares hee was one and a halfe at Corinth and three at Ephesus See Act. 18.11 and Act. 20.31 Yet Paul heere mentions the space of time to bee fourteene yeares least his adversaries should quarrell at his words whereto all words of actions iterated and frequented are subject if by their severall times they bee not distinguished for by this space of fourteene yeares this journy to Jerusalem with Barnabas is distinguished from a former journy of his to Jerusalem with Barnabas which was before this and therefore lesse then foureteene yeares from his conversion See and compare Act. 11.30 and Act. 12.25 I went up againe to Jerusalem with Barnabas All travelling toward Jerusalem is called ascending or going up not for any locall altitude as if the City and Territory about it were a higher ground then other places but for the jurall eminency or jurisdiction of the Courts there seated consisting of eminent persons for Jerusalem was the Metrople of all the Jewes during the time of the Law and of all the Christians during the plantation of the Gospel and the time of the Apostles Unto Jerusalem Paul after his conversion made severall journies whereof this heere seemes the third 1. His first journey thither was from Damascus and therein either hee had no company at all or none that is named and specified in the Scripture and his businesse was only by way of visit to see Peter and that journy hee mentions in this Epistle cap. 1. vers 18. Because from thence he would have no man gather that hee went thither to learne from the Apostles that Doctrine which for the space of three yeares hee had already preached 2. His second journy thither
beene seene in Israel And because they were so available to beget faith and beliefe that Mat. 11.21 had they been done in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long agoe in sackcloth and ashes or had they beene done in Sodome it would have remained untill this day Hence Christ to make the fuller faith of his message appeales from his words unto his workes for sayth he John 5.36 The workes which the Father hath given me to finish the same works that I doe beare witnesse of mee that the Father hath sent mee And againe John 10.37 If I doe not the workes of my Father beleeve me not but if I doe though ye beleeve not me beleeve the works that ye may know and beleeve that the Father is in me and I in him Hence also in Scripture miracles are called Signes because they are good proofes of that truth for which they are wrought and doe naturally beget the beliefe of it for every signe is a proofe of that which it signifieth 3. By his Holinesse Christ was a person so holy that one of his ordinary titles wherewith he is stiled in Scripture is to bee called The Holy one See Act. 2.27 and Act. 3.14 and 1. John 2.20 And that uncleane spirit who knew of no holinesse in himself did openly acknowledge the holinesse of Christ Marc. 1.24 I know who thou art the Holy one of God His Birth was holy for at his conception the Angel Gabriel tels the blessed Virgin Luk. 1.35 The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee therefore that Holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the son of God His Life was holy for through all the whole course of it hee was so innocent and so sinlesse that 2. Cor. 5.21 hee knew no sin And Heb. 4.15 hee was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin And 1. Pet. 2.22 He did no sin neyther was guile found in his mouth His Death was holy for he repined not at the sentence though most unjust hee complayned not at the execution though most painefull but Act. 8.32 He was led as a sheep to the slaughter and like a 〈◊〉 dumbe before his shearer so opened he not his mouth But hee bare all with an holy silence 1. Pet. 2.23 Who when he was reviled reviled not againe when he suffered he threatned not but committed himselfe to him that judgeth righteously Now Holinesse is a quality of mighty force to gaine faith and beliefe to the words of a person indued with that vertue for who would not beleeve the repent of that person whose holinesse is so eminent that in all his life he never sinned will such a person forge a Will or frame a deceit or maintaine an untruth and father it upon God certainly it is impossible that one and the same person should be 〈◊〉 holy and yet false 4. By his Death Christ tooke his death upon it that his message was from God For when hee openly acknowledged himselfe the son of God that saying was made the blaspheâ—y whereat the high Priest rent his cloths and it was made the crime for which he was adjudged to die and consequently was the cause for which hee suffered the shamefull and painefull death of the Crosse See Mat. 26.63 64 65 66. and John â—9 7 Yet neither the shame nor the paine of his death could force him to renounce that saying but he persisted in it to his last gasp and then crying with a loud voyce and commending his spirit unto God he called him his Father and gave up the ghost Luk. â—â— 46 Had not that saying of calling God his Father beene most certainely true the shame of the Crosse and the paines of his sufferings would have forced him to forbeare it at that time as a saying too insolent and wholly vaine which in that caâ—e could advantage him nothing But for our sakes it was this he would not forbeare it because hee would make full faith of it by making it in effect his last words and witnessing the truth of it with his bloud For as that saying caused his death so his death caused the faith of it because among men there As no greater proofe to make faith of a truth then when the person who averres it doth take his death upon it And the death of Christ seconded with some miracles at it was to this purpose so effectuall that presently at his giving up the ghost it bred the faith of this truth in the minds of many yea in some of his Executioners and the Centurion openly confessed it upon the place saying Mat. 27.54 Truly this was the son of God 5. By his Resurrection The Resurrection of Christ from the dead was such a strong proofe of his mission from God that it confirmed all the former proofes Not that those former were not sufficient but because his Resurrection was a speciall proofe which Christ had singled out to take away the scandall of his death that notwithstanding the Jewes would take away his life yet he could and would take it againe in rising from the grave the third day For when first the faithlesse Jewes demanded a signe of his authority hee proposed his Resurrection to oppose the scandall of his destruction Joh. 2.19 Destroy saith he this temple and in three dayes I will rayse it up And when he foretold his Disciples of his Passion hee alwayes comforted their minds against it by foretelling also his Resurrection Mat. 16.21 and Mat. 17.23 If therefore according to these Predictions his Resurrection had not followed then by default thereof his doctrine and his miracles had beene discredited and diffided The Resurrection therefore of Christ declared him to bee the sonne of God Rom. 1.4 and declared to bee the sonne of God with power according to the spirit of holinesse by the resurrection from the dead It prooved him to be the Judge of the world which because to the world it seemes incredible therefore God hath made faith of it by raysing him from the dead Act. 17.31 Because hee hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousnesse by that man whom he hath ordayned whereof hee hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raysed him from the dead This giving assurance heere is making faith for so is the Originall and so the vulgar Italian renders it and it is almost so in the margin of our last English Translation for there it is offered faith yet the sense comes all to one because all giving assurance is making faith And the Resurrection of Christ was of such force to make faith that the Apostles who were to spread faith made it the forme of their ordination ordayning Matthias to bee an Apostle under this forme Act. 1.22 To be a witnesse with them of Christs Resurrection And they made it the summe of their preaching for when they began to preach that Jesus was the Christ their
justified i. e. Are declared upright and innocent in the sight and knowledge of God For if in the sight of God a man bee found an offender or peccant against any one Law of God then in that case the effect or worke of the Law upon him is to Condemne him by imputing unto him a present guilt of a future punishment which is an effect quite contrary to that of jurall Justifying which imputes a present right to a future blessing For saith the Apostle Rom. 4.15 The Law worketh wrath i. e. It is an effect or worke of the Law to bring the punishment of death upon every transgressour of it though hee offend but in some one poynt of it as it is expressed Jam. 2.10 Whosoever shall keepe the whole Law and yet offend in one poynt hee is guilty of all i. e. Hee that offends against one single Law whereof the penalty is death is in as bad a case as if hee had offended against all for by the breach of that one Law hee is guilty of death and of more punishment hee could not bee guilty if hee had beene guilty of breaking all the rest Because death is a finall punishment beyond which there is no other But to come now to the Assumption though before men at their seats of Judgement in their sight and knowledge of the cause some man may be and hath beene legally justified i. e. declared upright and innocent for in this sence Paul testifies of himselfe Phil. 3.6 that touching the righteousnesse which is in the Law he was blamelesse not that hee was blamelesse in the sight and knowledge of God but in the knowledge of men and of his owne conscience in that neyther himselfe nor any other man could iustly lay any legall blame unto him and in this sense God himselfe testifies of Job Job 1.8 that hee was a perfect and an upright man yet Gods testimony of Job must not be so understood as if Job were perfect and upright in the sight and knowledge of God for that sense Job himselfe doth afterward disclaime but God saw and knew Job to be perfect and upright in the sight and knowledge of men in that no man could charge him with the breach of any Law and the like sense is to be conceived of Zacharias and Elizabeth of whom it is reported Luk. 1.6 that they were both righteous before God walking in all the commandements and ordinances of the Lord blamelesse Yet before God at his seat of Judgement or upon his sight and knowledge of the cause no man living except Jesus Christ ever was or ever shall be Legally justified i. e. declared and pronounced perfect and upright to be a man sinlesse and blamelesse no way peccant against any Law of God For by the sentence of God delivered in the Scriptures all men living of what Nation or Religion soever are declared sinners against his law and guilty of death For such are the Gentiles declared who had not the law but in doing by nature the things contayned in the law were a law unto themselves and such are the Jewes declared who rested in the law and made their boast of God See Rom. cap. 1. and cap. 2. per totum Yea the Jewes are declared in no wise better then the Gentiles but of both it is proved that they were all under sin Rom. 3.9 And the end of that declaration is to stop all mouths and to find all the world guilty Rom. 3.19 that every mouth might be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God and the reason of that guiltinesse is because all have sinned Rom. 3.23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God But the finall or last end of that Declaration is that mans right to the inheritance of Heaven should come by promise and gift and his title to that right should bee by faith of Jesus Christ Gal. 3.22 But the Scripture hath concluded all under sinne that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might bee given to them that believe Therefore to adde the Conclusion no man living shall bee jurally justified i. e. Shall have a present right to the future estate of blessednesse by the title of his workes The summe of the Apostles argument is briefely thus If a man have a right to everlasting life by the title of his workes then hee must by his workes in the sight of God bee declared upright But no man living can by his workes in the sight of God be declared upright Therefore no man living can have a right to everlasting life by the title of his workes This is the debility of mans workes if wee consider them as a title whereby hee acquires and hath that right But if wee consider them as a tenure wherby hee preserves and holds his right then they may and must be of some efficacy as will appear afterward in this Chapter at the 18. verse VERSE 17. Text. But if while wee seeke to bee justified by Christ wee our selves also are found sinners is therefore Christ the Minister of sinne God forbid Sense Found sinners i. e. Found continuers in sin Is therefore Christ i. e. Himselfe and his Doctrine The Minister of sinne i. e. One that gives occasion and licence unto sin even unto impiety and wickednesse Reason These words are and well enough may bee translated interrogatively But as I conceive they are rather to bee understood illatively thus But if while wee seeke to bee justified by Christ wee our selves are found sinners then it will necessarily follow that therefore Christ is the Minister of sinne An objecti ∣ on Yet whether of these two wayes soever wee take them they containe an objection which would seeme to weaken and crosse the former Doctrine about Justification by the faith of Christ and not by the workes of the Law for against that Doctrine some men did or might argue thus Yee that are Jewes by nature seeke to bee justified i. e. ye seeke a state of divine liberty or freedome whereby yee have a present right to the future possession of heavenly blessednesse whereof one particular is the Pardon of all your sinnes past present and to come And yee seeke this right by the title of your faith in Christ i. e. By your high esteeme of him for the sonne of God and by your acceptance of those promises wherein hee gives this divine state And yee make this faith your sole and onely title excluding all workes of the Law from any concurrence therewith But while yee have this present right to blessednesse and seeke the future possession of it by faith onely whereby yee are certaine and assured of it then hence it will follow that in the meane time yee may continue in sinfullnesse living in all kind of licentiousnesse as the sinners of the Gentiles lived before their accesse unto Christ And it seemes yee make account to live thus because yee speake so much against the Law which would bridle yee
to bee and bee called the friend of God was it not afterward continued by his worke in offering his son for was not that worke wrought by his faith and was not his faith and the Scripture mentioning it fulfilled by that worke The other example is of Rahab Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by workes when she had received the Messengers and had sent them out another way i. e. The Justification of Rahab constituted long before by her faith whereby she became a Proselyte and an Israelite in beleeving that the God of Israel was God in Heaven above and in earth beneath was it not afterward continued by her worke in Receiving the Messengers For was not that worke wrought by her faith and at the sacke of Jericho was not she and her family preserved by that worke and thereby continued Proselites unto Gods People Now from these Examples and Similies of James but especially from his two reasons it evidently followes that workes doe justifie in the sense alleadged namely conservantly For because Faith without workes is dead and working with workes is by workes made perfect or effectuall therefore workes doe preserve and continue the life perfection and efficacy of Faith and consequently they preserve and continue the state of Justification which is the effect of faith and whatsoever doth preserve and continue Justification that doth Justifie True it is that Neither faith nor works are the principall and prime efficients of my Justifying because God is the personall principall and prime efficient who makes mee to have my right and who makes mee to hold it but faith and workes are the reall mediall or meane efficients on my part For God willeth and ordayneth that fayth should bee my title whereby I acquire and have this right and that workes should be my tenure whereby to continue and hold it From my title I wholly exclude my workes allowing them neyther efficiency to justifie nor presence in my person at my Justifying For faith alone without any efficiency or any presence of workes within mee doth make me to have this right Because when I am to bee justified I have not within me any workes at all that any way qualifie me or can bee truely sayd to be resident in mee For manifest it is that I am then in the state and condition of a sinner if not legally of a transgressor against the Law yet morally of one somewhat improbous who was many wayes peccant in the rules of morality equity decency and mercy and jurally of one calamitous who must suffer and die like a sinner for the proper subject of Justification is a sinner But from my Tenure I exclude not faith but include and suppose it adding and adjoyning my workes unto it Because in my Justification faith hath a double efficiency first a procreant to constitute it and secondly a conservant to continue it Yet that degree of conservancy which flowes from faith is so imperfect that unlesse it be perfected by the accesse of works fayth alone is not able to conserve it selfe for without workes shee is dead Yet from my Tenure I exclude the solitarinesse both of my faith and of my workes for neither faith alone without workes nor workes alone without faith but both concurring and joyned together viz. faith conducting and co-operating with workes and workes accompanying and seconding faith doe justifie me conservantly as my Tenure making mee to continue and hold that state of divine alliance which faith alone did create and constitute And heerein I give the preeminence to faith for I say not thus Workes with faith but thus Faith with workes doth make up my Tenure faith as the principall and workes as accessories thereto to animate enable and render faith effectuall unto that effect which alone without workes it can not performe Because faith without workes is imperfect and dead but working with workes is by workes made perfect and effectuall And true it is that Workes doe also justifie declaratively because they declare manifest and shew that faith which doeth justifie efficiently and which alone without workes is efficient procreantly and which being alone without workes can not be declared For words will not serve the turne to declare the existence of faith but this service must be done by works And therefore the existence of that faith which is solitary alone and without workes can by no meanes bee sufficiently declared Hence saith the Apostle Jam. 2.18 Shew mee thy faith without thy workes Shew me if thou canst or thou canst not shew mee that faith of thine which is without workes or which is solitary or alone by it selfe for by thy words in saying thou hast faith it is not sufficiently shewed and by thy workes it cannot possibly be shewed because as thou acknowledgest it is a solitary faith which is alone by it selfe destitute of workes And I will shew thee my faith by my workes i. e. But I will shew thee my operary faith which worketh with workes for I will and doe declare it by my workes because I acknowledge that my faith is seconded and accompanied with workes Now because faith is declared or shewed by workes therfore workes are a Signe of faith and consequently they are a Signe of Justification to declare and shew the state of it because faith is a cause whereof Justification is the effect and whatsoever is a Signe of the cause is also a Signe of the effect Yet this is not all and the whole influence which workes have unto Justification that they are a Signe of faith to declare it But moreover workes are a cause of faith to effect it yet not a cause procreant to constitute and produce it but a cause conservant to continue and maintaine it For Jam. 2.26 As the body without the spirit is dead so faith without workes is dead also Now the Spirit whereby the body respireth and breatheth is a cause of the body yet not a cause procreant to give the body life and being but a cause conservant to continue and maintaine the life and being of it And consequently workes are also a cause conservant of that Justification whereof faith is a cause wholly procreant and partly conservant and to conserve Justification is to justifie For seeing that unto many words I willingly allow severall senses not only modall but reall I cannot with equity deny the like courtesie unto the Verbe Justified for the honour of those two great Apostles Paul and James who were planters of the Gospel and pillars of the Church especially when I consider the severall parties with whom they had to deale For Paul by his assertion opposeth the Judaizers who as was formerly shewed upon the 14. verse of this Chapter were Operaries and Rituaries standing so much for the workes and Ceremonies of the Law that they made workes the sole and whole efficient cause of Justification both the cause conservant to continue and maintaine the state of it and also the cause procreant to
justified by Christ hee doth highly magnifie the benefit and religion of Christ thereby to manifest unto the Galatians their great rashnes and weakenesse in suffering themselves to be seduced from the Religion of Christ and reduced under the Law of Moses Comment Christian crucifying or mortification the Paterne of it the Ground of it the End or Effect of it Of self-love the Nature of it the Necessity of it the Facility and want of it the work of it the Order of that worke the nessity of it and Neglect of it Mortificatiō is true life and really is Sanctification by altering my life to the life of Christ Sense of the Text. Faith put for Religion To live in the flesh To live in the Faith Naturall actions may become religious and be subject to faith An attribute of Christ why given him heere The Religion of Moses servile But that of Christ is liberall and noble Another Attribute of Christ Delivering put for Dying The authors of Christs death Actions are morallized from their causes The end or purpose of it Christ dyed not in my stead But for my sake or for my good to certifie me of blessednes to justifie me to it to Sanctifie me for it to Exemplifie the way to it to glorifie me with it Christ dyed for me eminently More then any other person can Christs love caused his death not excluding Gods love which also caused it and not his Anger God then was not angry with Christ not with us but with the Jewes he was Christ dyed for Paul and for me by my name appellative of a Believer which kinde of Nomination is Certaine and Valid to the Inheritance of Heaven A Prayer unto Christ I Am Crucified The Crosse was an instrument for criminall executions whereon malefactors were put to death a punishment much practised and well knowne among the Romans Greekes and Jewes And to bee Crucified was to bee nayled hand and foot upon the Crosse to suffer thereby a shamefull paynfull and lingring death Hence by way of metaphor or resemblance the Faithfull when they renounce reject and crosse the motions desires and lusts of their carnall or fleshly appetite are sayd in Scripture to crucifie or mortifie the flesh and thereupon they themselves are sayd to bee crucified or mortified For when the Flesh or carnall appetite which is a kinde of Malefactor is so curbed and crossed that she cannot enjoy her former liberty and usuall motions unto sinne then she resembles a man crucified or nayled to the crosse who thereby loseth first his motion and at last his life The Apostle therefore would say My death unto the Law doth so far remove mee from living in sin that I am dead to sin also because I am as it were crucified For as a man that is crucified or nailed to the crosse doth dye a violent and paynfull death so my old man or that man that I was formerly is so bruised and crossed that it is dead not a naturall and easie but a violent and paynfull death For the denyall of my former selfe by crossing the motions desires and lusts of the flesh is unto my sensuall appetite not onely a simple death but a death with violence and torment because when my appetite is crossed she accounts her selfe vexed and tormented With Christ Not really and locally but putatively and quasively for I am mortified in a maner as hee was crucified and so I am for two reasons 1. Because his Crucifying is the Paterne resemblance or likenesse of mine For as Christ was crucified and dyed to his mortall life that he might rise to a new life and live unto God so I am mortified and dead unto sin that I might turne to a new life and live unto God as a new creature And as Christ was crucified but once dying no more but once for death had dominion over him no more but once so I am mortified and dead to sinne once for all and sinne shall never have dominion over mee more because I will never againe returne under the bondage of it For according to these resemblances the Apostle proposeth Christ unto every Christian as the true paterne of mortification Rom. 6.6 Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sinne might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sinne for he that is dead is freed from sinne And againe at the next verse following but one the other resemblance followeth Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dyeth no more death hath no more dominion over him For in that he dyed he dyed unto sinne once but in that hee liveth hee liveth unto God Likewise reckon yee also your selves to bee dead indeede unto sinne but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 2. Because his Crucifying is the cause ground or reason of mine For as through the death of the Law I am dead to the Law so through the Crucifying of Christ I am crucified with Christ i. e. his Crucifying and dying on the Crosse is the cause ground and bond why I must be mortified and dead unto sinne For seeing Christ by his death upon the Crosse did confirme and establish the last Will and Testament of God to the Legacyes and Promises whereof I by fayth am justified to have the same right in God with Christ or as Christ hath namely a right of alliance and inheritance to be the son and heyre of God as Christ is the son and heyre of God and consequently to be the brother of Christ and a co-heyre with him to eternall blessednes Are not these benefits by the death of Christ a cause ground and bond sufficient to engage and oblige mee to crucifie or mortifie my sin Shall I partake in the alliance and inheritance of Christ to bee a co-ally and a co-heire with him and shall I not partake in his obedience to be a sufferer with him especially in this holy suffering whereby my sin onely suffers death For seeing Christ for my sake layd downe his life shall not I for his sake lay downe my sinne Can I possibly doe lesse for his sake who suffered so much for mine then thus to conforme and plant my selfe into the likenesse of his death And can I possibly doe more for my owne sake when by thus conforming and planting my selfe into the likenes of his death Rom. 6.5 I shall be also in the likenesse of his resurrection If Christ dyed for mee then must I dye to sinne because his death bindes mee to it 2 Cor. 5.14 For if one dyed for all then were all dead i. e. then were all to dye or then all ought or must dye to sin for in this place as in divers others the action past is put for the duty to come If Christ have any right in me I must bee thus dead Rom. 8.10 And if Christ bee in you the body is dead because of sinne i. e. the flesh or sensuall appetite is mortified or dead that thereby ye may
death then it must needes follow that hee had dyed for the Gentiles And 2. Tim. 2.10 That hee endured all things for the Elects sake that they may also obtaine the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternall glory And this was not the singular charity of Paul alone But it is also the duty of every Believer to lay downe his life for his brethren especially when the matter concernes their salvation for heereof the death of Christ is both the reason and the example 1. John 3.16 Heereby perceive wee the love of God because hee layd downe his life for us and wee ought to lay downe our lives for the brethren Likewise of every true Martyr by whose constancy I finde my selfe confirmed in the truth it may bee truely sayd that hee dyed for the good of my salvation Yet notwithstanding all other persons besides Christ are in this kinde onely subservient unto Christ and the benefit which I have by their death doth onely second my blessing by his Who loved mee The Motive that induced Christ to give himselfe for mee was his Love to mee For as the fruit of his death was my good So the roote of it was his love for because hee loved mee therefore hee dyed for mee Certainely a reall love not in word or in tongue but in deede and in truth testified and certified by his death for by the outward passion of his death hee declared the inward affection of his love And certainely a liberall love for seeing love delights to give what could hee give mee more then to give himselfe for mee For the greatnesse of his love unto mee is heere signified by two circumstances that inclose and stand about his Love One before it by the greatnesse of his person in that hee was the sonne of God for what greater person was there in the world who was mortall and able to dye for mee The other after it by the greatnesse of his passion in that hee gave himselfe to death for mee for what could hee possibly doe more for my sake then to lay downe his life for mee Seeing beyond this there can bee no greater love and hence hee himselfe commends the greatnesse of love John 15.13 Greater love hath no man then this that a man lay downe his life for his friends His love therefore was the Cause of his death and his death was the Effect of his love For hence in severall passages of Scripture his Love and his Death go hand in hand as the Cause with the effect As Ephes 5.2 Walke in love as Christ also hath loved us and given himselfe for us And Ephes 5.25 Husbands love your Wives even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himselfe for it And 1. John 3.16 Heereby perceive wee the love of God because hee layd downe his life for us Yet the love of Christ unto mee was not the sole and onely cause of his death for mee so as to exclude the love of the Father from being concurrent with the love of Christ For God the Father also loved mee and loved mee so eminently and so principally that his love was the cause why Christ loved mee and therefore consequently Gods love unto mee must needes bee the cause why Christ dyed for mee and must needes bee also the supreame cause that hath no higher cause above it For Christ therefore dyed for mee because hee loved mee and hee therefore loved mee because God loved mee But why God loved mee I know no cause beside his love Yet that Gods love to mee is the cause why Christ dyed for mee is manifest from severall passages of Scripture as John 3.16 For God so loved the World that hee gave his onely begotten Sonne i. e. Gave him to dye for his love to the World was the cause why hee exposed his sonne to death And Rom. 3.25 God hath set forth Christ to bee a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousnesse i. e. His kindnes which is the effect of his love And Rom. 5.8 But God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us And 1. John 4.10 Heerein is love not that wee loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins And the greatnesse of Gods love heerein is manifest also by two circumstances One of the Person dying a person of that Majesty and of so neare alliance unto God that hee was the sonne of God and his onely begotten sonne Which must needs argue in God an excesse and high degree of love For hee that is so free as to give up his owne sonne for mee doth thereby further give mee to understand that hee would willingly give mee all that ever hee hath And beyond this can there bee any greater love or can any love bee more free Yet such was Gods love to mee in the death of Christ Rom. 8.32 Hee that spared not his owne sonne but delivered him up for us all how shall hee not with him also freely give us all things The other Circumstance is of the persons for whom Christ dyed for they were sinners and ungodly wretches persons deserving death themselves and altogether unworthy that any one should dye for them and therefore much lesse the sonne of God Peradventure for good and godly men some man would dye but would any man dye for sinners and ungodly wretches But Christ dyed for us while wee were yet sinners and ungodly and therein God commended the greatnesse of his love to us Rom. 5.7 Peradventure for a good man some would even dare to dye but God commendeth his love towards us in that while wee were yet sinners Christ dyed for us Hence there will follow these three verities 1. Gods wrath was not the cause of Christs death For wee cannot finde any such Doctrine delivered in the Scriptures But from severall expresse Scriptures wee have clearely shewed that the cause of Christs death was Gods love unto us and that love was not ordinary and vulgar but singularly and intirely the greatest that ever was in the world Wee were indeede the children of wrath i. e. lyable to Gods wrath and worthy of it Yet it doth not thence follow that God was then actually wrath with us for God who is rich in grace and mercy may in a divers respect actually love them who actually deserve his wrath And when Christ dyed for us wee were then dead in sinnes i. e. guilty of death by reason of our sinnes Yet it thence followeth not that our sinnes were punished in the death of Christ for God may actually pardon their life who actually are guilty of death This God may doe de jure and hath already done it de facto and hee hath done it for this end that thereby hee might shew the exceeding riches of his love and grace in his mercy and kindnesse towards us through Christ Ephes 2.3 Wee all had our conversation in times past
in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the minde and were by nature the children of wrath even as others but God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith hee loved us even when wee were dead in sinnes hath quickned us together with Christ by grace yee are saved and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus that in the Ages to come hee might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnesse towards us through Christ Jesus Certainely such love as heere is mentioned so exceeding rich in grace mercy and kindnesse must needes bee free from wrath and anger unlesse wee are content to say that at one and the same time in respect of the same action and of the same persons God was exceeding loving and yet exceeding angry which at last will come to this that at the same time the same God loved and loved not 2. God was not angry with Christ when he dyed For would God bee angry with his onely begotten Son of whom hee gave this publick testimony from Heaven Mat. 3.17 This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased With his Son who was so obedient that hee tooke upon him the forme of a servant and God calls him his chosen servant in whom his soule was well pleased Mat. 12.18 Behold my servant whom I have chosen my beloved in whom my soule is well pleased With his Son who was so Innocent that in all his life hee knew no sin and therefore could bee no subject of Gods anger And could God bee angry with his Sonne then when hee was about Gods owne worke a worke to God so pleasing that God therefore loved him because he undertook it John 10.17 Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life that I might take it againe A worke to God so agreeable that Ephes 5.2 it was an Offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour A worke to God so acceptable that for his undergoing of it God hath highly exalted him and caused every knee to bow unto him Phil. 2.8 Hee humbled himselfe and became obedient unto death even the death of the Crosse wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow c. 3. God was not angry with us when Christ dyed for us For could God bee angry with us then when wee were the objects of his admirable and infinite love when hee did a worke for our sakes whereby hee especially intended to free us wholly from his anger a work wherein he playnly declared the exceeding riches of his grace and the abundance of his mercy and kindnesse towards us a worke wherein hee spared not his own most dearly beloved Son but delivered him up for us all and thereby manifested that hee would freely give us all things a worke whereby hee conveyed unto us a right interest and clayme to the eternall possession of Heavenly blessednes Or if God were then angry with us when to settle upon us eternall life hee exposed his owne Son to a bitter death what sufficient argument can wee draw from his death whereby to assure our soules that God remaines not angry with us still even unto this very day True it is that God was angry with the Jewes who put Christ to death for his bloud was upon them and upon their children and afterward God punished their wickednes with a sin all desolation Yet if wee consider that anger of God according to the right course of causality we shall easily perceive that Gods anger against the Jewes was not the cause of Christs death but contrarily Christs death was the cause of Gods anger against the Jewes For God whose anger caused not the worke was justly angry with the workemen who did it because they on their part made it a wicked worke for they did it not as Gods worke not as his Will not for his sake not for his end nor by his authority Gods anger therefore against the Jewes for the death of Christ maketh nothing against the verities by mee premised that his anger was not the cause why Christ dyed For the like may bee sayd of every Martyr whose death is a just cause of Gods anger against his Persecutors though Gods anger bee no cause at all of his death But some man may say that the truth of these words who loved me and gave himselfe for me being spoken by Paul of himselfe and in his person of every Christian might be certainely knowne unto Paul Because hee might bee assured of this truth by the meanes of some revelation made unto him thereof for either Christ whom hee had heard and seen or God who revealed Christ unto him might also reveale this truth unto him But you that were borne some hundred yeares since the death of Christ and have no revelation touching any such love of Christ toward you how can you for your part certainely know and bee assured concerning your selfe that Christ loved you and gave himselfe for you Hereto I answer That this saying is also true of mee I certainely know and am assured from hence because my name is written in Gods last Will and Testament that Christ loved mee and gave himselfe for mee Yet I find not my name written there by my proper Christian and sir-name but by an appellative or common name of mine which unto mee is farre better and more certaine then my proper name For I certainely know of my selfe that I am a Believer in Christ and am truely called by that name and under that name I finde it written of mee that Christ loved me and dyed for me John 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave to death his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life And againe Rom. 3.21 But now the righteousnes i. e. the kindnes of God without the Law is manifested being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets even the righteousnesse or kindnes of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his bloud Christ then dyed for all Believers whatsoever of what Nation and what age soever not onely for those who lived in that age wherein hee dyed but for all those also who should afterwards live in any age whatsoever Now because Christ for certaine dyed for all Believers and I for certaine am a Believer therefore for certaine Christ dyed for mee And if this Reasoning be not right there is no reason why man should bee accounted a reasonable creature or if this Reasoning breed not certainty man can have no certainty in any knowledge and consequently he cannot bee certaine that himselfe is a
man much lesse can hee bee certaine that any thing is doubtfull This nomination of mee by the common name of a Believer is fully sufficient to convey unto mee a proper right to everlasting blessednesse My Father by his last Will setled his estate upon my elder Brother and upon his heires but my Brother dying without issue I came to enjoy my fathers estate Because I was named to it in his Will yet not by my single or proper name but by my appellative or common name of Heire for collaterally by my birth I was heire to my Brother But because this is a parable therefore it is not necessary that the Argument of it should agree with the thing it should argue in every particular circumstance but it shall suffice that it hold in the maine purpose and scope of it My heavenly Father by his last Will setled the Kingdome of Heaven upon Christ my elder Brother and upon his Heires and heereby the inheritance of Heaven is assured unto mee Because in Gods Will I am named to it not by my single or proper name but by my appellative or common name of heire to Christ for having God my Father by faith I consequently become Brother to Christ and co-heire with him And an heire by faith when the Testator is pleased so to assigne it is jurally as sure as an heire by birth and in the case present much surer because the assignation is universall to all in generall Whosoever believeth in Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life And the righteousnes of God unto all and upon all them that believe If therefore a common name written in mans will be of force to convey and assure an estate much more shall it doe the like in Gods Will. Oh my deare and blessed Lord who hast loved mee and given thy selfe for mee and therefore wilt give mee any thing else beside grant mee the spirit of thy love that thine to mee may beget mine to thee But let mine bee a soveraigne love to adhere to thee against all the world and let it bee a diligent love not in word but in deed to serve thee faithfully in all thy commands Grant mee also the virtue of thy death to worke in mee my death to sinne that as thou for my sake didst lay downe thy life so I for thy sake may lay downe my sinne Let the sprinkling of thy blood fall upon my heart to withdraw mee from the course of the world to cleanse mee from all vaine conversation to purifie mee from sinne and iniquity to consecrate and dedicate my soule to holynesse that as Adams sinne made mee guilty so thy death may make mee holy And when my naturall death approacheth seeing thou hast tasted death for mee bee pleased to succour mee at the houre of mine Let mee not feare or grieve or grudge to dye but answering the way of thy love let mee give my selfe for mee and then Lord Jesus receive my spirit for which thou didst vouchsafe to dye VERSE 21. Text. I doe not frustrate the grace of God For if righteousnesse come by the Law then Christ is dead in vaine Sense I do not frustrate the grace of God i. e. I make it not vaine or voyd by despising or rejecting it in attributing that blessing unto Gods Law which proceedeth from his grace For if righteousnesse come by the Law i. e. If the Right whereto Gods righteousnesse or kindnesse justifieth come by the Law or if Justification come by the Law as an effect of the Law Then Christ is dead in vaine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. dyed without a cause then Christ who dyed on the Crosse to settle that Will and Testament of God whereby this Right was conveyed dyed without a cause or there was no sufficient reason why he should so dye Reason These words containe the third and last Argument in this Chapter whereby he proves the Negative of his principall Assertion concerning Justification that A man is not Justified by the works of the Law and consequent y that he himself was not so justified For the Apostle according to his former personation continueth his argument in his owne person concluding his Negative from an absurdity which must necessarily follow upon the contrary Affirmative of it For if I am justified by the workes of the Law then it must needs follow that thereby I doe frustrate or made voyd the grace of God because the Law of God and the Grace of God make such opposite titles that if I claime by his Law I must needs disclaime his Grace The Necessity of this consequence he further declares and confirmes by instancing in the gracious Meanes whereby this divine Right of Inheritance to Blessednes is conveyed and setled upon me namely by the bitter death of Christ upon the Crosse wherein God shewed the riches of his grace when by the death of his owne Son he testified and confirmed that Will and Testament wherein this Inheritance was devised unto mee For if my Right of Inheritance came by reason of the Law then Christ who died to settle this Right upon me dyed without any cause on Gods part and there was no sufficient reason why his Father who so dearly loved him should expose him unto death much lesse unto such a bitter death if therefore I frustrate the death of Christ I thereby also frustrate the grace of God And for this argument from Gods grace hee seemes to take occasion from the last words of the former verse wherein hee mentioned the love of Christ because all grace is love Comment Frustrate ampliated to 4 senses which really are the same Grace put for it selfe and for all the effects of it Of Justification the Matter the Title the Tenure the Author the Motive is meere Grace The Nature of grace in 2. things Testimonies for it No causes for it Yet reasons 5. 1. From Gods gift 2. from his good pleasure 3. from his goodnes or kindnes 4. from his Mercy 5. From his Will and Testament Gods grace is rich Testimonies hereof and Reasons 3. 1 It is without cause Not from Merit nor Request nor Inquiry But from Gods proper motion According to his owne will which otherwise were not his but ours 2. Rich for the Effect of Alliance and Inheritance seated most gloriously 3. For the Meanes which was costly precious Why Grace is not caused by my Works nor by my Will but is onely Gratis for Thankes 〈◊〉 what 〈◊〉 are Yet they follow not necessarily why not Grace how frustrated Righteousnesse put sometime for Uprightnes Faithfulnes Kindnes Heere for a Right For so it is taken in the Old Testament So in the New And sometime is so Englished So also here and why 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies without desert here without cause Christs death ampliated to his other actiōs Especially to his Resurrection Causes of Christs death fit to be knowne the ◠Causes humane the Divine which must be 1. Consequent to Gods
grace 3 Respective to the New Testament and so they are chiefly 3. which was very necessary done very sufficiently and very solemnly and why so from ReasoÌ„ and testimonies of Scripture 2. To Confirme it which also was necessary Effected Yet not by the Testator in his owne person But in the person of his owne Son Which assures my Right and argues the love of God and of Christ Hence is the Bloud of the New Testament opposed to that of Abel and to that of the Old Testament and is farre more holy 3. To Execute it for this is the Life of a Testament and a Bond upon the Executor who of the New Testament was Christ whereof the Reasons and the Testimonies from Scripture Christ a vested Executor for his Inheritance Power Honour and Office But upon the Condition of his Death a Condition strange Yet Possible and Necessary for 2 reasoÌ„s 1. For his owne Inheritance which otherwise he could not enter 2. For discharge of Legacies Hence he is the Captain of Salvation and Author of Salvation Hence at his Ascention he fulfilled Gods Will in giving gifts to men Hence our Expiation our Consolation our Resurrection and Glorification Hence Christs doctrine for the Necessity of his death whereof the causes remote were many yet all subordinate to the three forementioned But the Remission of sins is most mentioned and the Reason The force of Pauls argument The effect of a Testament Gods two Testaments are different and therefore are Repugnant The Old not in force because it was faulty or else Pauls argument is so and Christ dyed without cause Arguments of Gods grace for the Effect of it and the Meanes which was Rich Requiring my Faith and Hope and Love It comes not by the Law but is opposed to it I Doe not frustrate the grace of God The Greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. I doe not despise reject disanul or bring to nothing the the grace of God for these foure ways the word is Englished elswhere and in this place only is rendred frustrate As Luke 10.16 Hee that heareth you heareth mee and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee that despiseth you despiseth mee And Marc. 7.9 And hee sayd unto them full well 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yee reject the commandement of God And Gal. 3.15 Though it bee but a mans Testament yet if it bee confirmed no man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 disanulleth or addeth thereto And 1. Cor. 1.19 I will destroy the wisdome of the wise and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will bring to nothing the understanding of the Prudent And all these foure wayes the word signifieth heere Because these severall senses are not really different but are either in a maner the same or else one consequent to the other For what I despise that also I reject and what I reject that I disanull or bring to nothing in effect by making it frustrate or void in respect of any use or benefit to my selfe If therefore I frustrate or make voyd the grace of God from having that effect upon mee which God purposed towards mee I disanul his grace or bring it to nothing which argues my refusall of it to reject it and my rejection argues my contempt of it that I disesteeme or despise it Concerning the nature of Gods grace what it is wee have spoken somewhat before cap. 1. vers 6. where the Reader may peruse it Heere therefore wee shall consider that effect of it from which the Apostle argueth and reasoneth in this place for heere the word is put by way of metonymy or transnomination for all those effects both mediall and finall whereof Gods grace is the originary and primary cause The Right whereto I am justified is a divine state of alliance and inheritance to bee the sonne and heire of God for this is the Matter of my right The Title whereby I acquire or have this Right is only my Faith to accept it for my Faith is a meane procreant cause on my part whereby I receive this Right The Tenure whereby I continue or hold it are the Duties and Services of holinesse or the good workes of love for these are a meane cause conservant on my part that my right may not escheat or bee forfeited The principall person who imputeth deriveth or conveyeth this right unto mee is God the Father for who but God as the principall Agent can make mee the sonne and heire of God The Motive inducing God to impute or convey this Right unto mee is his meere Grace I meane that inward affection residing in God which is his goodwill love favour mercy and kindnesse for all these are really the same but rationally different in respects So that my title on Gods part is Gods meere grace which is the supreame or prime cause having no other cause above or beyond it The cause why every Believer is the sonne and heire of God is because God in his last Will and Testament hath so devised or promised it And the cause why God in his Will made this devise or promise is his meere Grace i. e. his love or goodwill to dignifie a person who deserves it not For Gods love is his good-will to benefie or doe good and when the benefit done is a dignity or honour to the receiver and the receiver a person who deserves it not then such Love of God is his Grace My alliance with God to bee his sonne and heire hath it not in it there â—o qualities The one that it is an high dignity and honour unto me the other that it is far beyond my desert For no man can deserve to bee borne of his Father or after hee is borne to bee made the sonne of another But the onely cause of a sonne is love and the onely cause to bee made the sonne of God is the grace of God Because to bee made the sonne of God is the greatest dignity and honour in the Wold for thereby mans dignity approacheth to the Majesty of the most high God who though by reason of his power hee bee the Father of all yet by way of grace he is not so My Justifying therefore unto this alliance with God is by the Scriptures attributed to the grace of God Rom. 3.24 Being satisfied freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ And Rom. 4.16 Therefore it is of faith that it might bee by grace to the end the promise might bee sure to all the seed what is the thing that is of faith The divine inheritance to bee made the heires of God as it appeares in the words preceding vers 13. and 14. And Ephes 1.6 To the praise of the glory of his grace wherein or whereby hee hath made us accepted in the beloved i. e. Whereby hee hath justified us or made us co-heires with his beloved sonne And Ephes 2.4.5 But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith hee loved us even when wee were dead in sinnes hath
mercy hee saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost i. e. Our finall salvation which God hath decreed or devised unto us and our Sanctification in regenerating or renewing us by his holy Spirit which is the meanes to the former end proceedes not from any workes of ours which wee had done before according to any righteousnesse that was in us But our right thereunto proceedes from Gods worke as an act of his mercy And 1. Pet. 1.3 Blessed bee the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us againe unto a lively hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible c. i. e. Blessed bee God who by the Resurrection of Christ hath begotten and wrought in us a lively hope of eternall life which is an inheritance incorruptible All which proceedes from the abundance of his mercy Now all Mercy is Grace though all Grace bee not Mercy But when grace is so affected with the misery of a miserable person that thereby she is moved to relieve him from his misery then grace becomes mercy Because all mercy is grace to a person in misery 5. Because it comes by Gods Will and Testament John 1.13 Who were borne not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God i. e. Believers are made the sonnes of God not by generation or birth from the will of flesh and blood Nor by any adoption from the will of man But by that adoption which is from the Will and Testament of God And Ephes 1.5 Haveing predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himselfe according to the good pleasure of his Will i. e. Our adoption to bee the sonnes of God and the co-heires with Christ by meanes of Christ is predestinated ordained or devised unto us according to that good pleasure of God which hee hath expressed in his Will and Testament And in the same Chapter vers 11. In whom also wee have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsell of his owne Will i. e. In or through Christ we are made co-heires with Christ unto blessednes wherto we are predestinated instituted and ordained by God who performeth all things according to that purpose counsell or meaning of his which he hath expressed in his Will and Testament Now things conveyed or devised by Will and Testament are not debts and duties whereto the Testator is bound by Law and justice but are gifts and Legacies proceeding from his grace favour and kindnes towards those Legataries unto whom they are devised for hence it is that Wills require a favourable construction or interpretation because they containe matters of favour And Gods grace wherby I am justified unto this Right is rich grace For that is a frequent attribute wherby the Scripture doth commend and magnifie the greatnes plenty and abundance of Gods grace by stiling it the riches of his grace As Rom. 11.12 Now if the fall of them be the richesse of the World and the diminishing of them the richesse of the Gentiles i. e. The fall of the Jewes is the occasion of Gods grace and of the riches or abundance thereof unto the Gentiles and unto all the world besides And Ephes 1.7 In whom wee have redemption through his bloud according to the riches of his grace wherein he hath abounded towards us And Ephes 2.7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnesse towards us through Jesus Christ i. e. the exceeding plenty and abundance of his grace for although grace and kindnesse be really one and the same thing yet after the word grace the Apostle addeth the word kindnesse that by the abundance of his words he might signifie the abundance of Gods grace Certainely sin aboundeth in the world and hath done so in all ages yet grace doth over-abound it Rom. 3.20 The Law entred that the offence might abound but where sinne abounded grace did much more abound i. e. After the Law was given the event was that sin abounded and after sin had abounded the event was that grace did super-abound by over-reigning over-ruling and overcomming sin because God by his grace doth not only forgive eternall death which is the punishment of sin but over and above he doth give us a right unto eternall life by justifying us thereunto through Christ as it there followeth in the next verse That as sinne hath reigned unto death even so might grace reigne through righteousnesse through a Right unto eternall life And this richnesse or greatnesse of Gods grace appeares from three grounds 1. Because Gods grace is without a cause There was no cause moving God to justifie me for as we sayd before his grace is hereof the supreame or prime cause having no other cause above or beyond it to actuate or move it What moved God to bee so gracious unto mee as to predestinate or devise unto mee in his last Will and Testament this divine state of alliance and inheritance with him Certainely no Merit or desert of mine moved him for it was not for any worke or other act of mine which I had done or which God foresaw I would doe that could deserve this grace Because Gods grace and my workes are in respect of causality so inconsistent and contrary that they cannot both concurre as causes procreant of the same blessing But the claime by one doth necessarily exclude the other For if it bee by workes it is of debt and then it cannot bee of grace Rom. 4.4 Now to him that worketh is the reward reckoned not of grace but of debt But if it bee by grace it is of gift and then it cannot bee of workes Rom. 11.6 And if by grace then it is no more of workes otherwise grace is no more grace No Petition or Request of mine moved him for I never made any motion or suit for it neither was it my counsell or advice that God should devise this Legacy unto mee for Rom. 11.34 Who hath knowne the minde of the Lord or who hath beene his counsellour Neither had I any existence when Gods Will was framed Lastly no inquiry or seeking of mine moved him heereto for I never asked after it nor desired it and I had no desire to it because I had no knowledge of it hence saith God in respect of his grace Rom. 10.20 I was found of them that sought mee not I was made manifest unto them that asked not after mee And when by the preaching of the Gospel God sought mee asked after mee and called mee to accept his grace I was hardly perswaded to believe and receive it And unto this day many Nations cannot bee perswaded of it yea some Christians are not rightly and fully perswaded of it But God was heereto moved of his owne meere and proper motion wherein
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the righteousnesse of the faith which hee had being uncircumcised that hee might bee the Father of all them that believe i. e. A seale of the right which hee had by faith being uncircumcised for a seale is not a signe of uprightnesse or morall righteousnesse but of a right interest or claime and the right sealed unto Abraham is heere specified That hee might bee the Father of all them that believe which condition in Abraham was not a morall righteousnesse but a jurall right of dignity And againe vers 13. For the promise that hee should bee the Heire of the World was not to Abraham or to his seeds through the Law but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 through the righteousnesse of faith i. e. through the right which hee had by faith for it hath reference to the two former words Promise and Heire which are jurall tearmes proper to matters of right for a Promise is an act which maketh a Right and an Heir is a person who hath a right The like sense the word Righteousnesse beareth in divers passages of that Epistle the recitall whereof would prove too numerous and tedious Yet for our further confirmation heerein wee may take notice that in the Old Testament the Hebrew word Zedakah doth not onely signifie a right but in King JAMES his translation is sometime so Englished As 2. Sam. 19.28 For all my Fathers house were but dead men before my Lord the King yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did eate at thine owne table mah iesh li Zedakah what right have I therefore yet to cry any more unto the King The Right heere mentioned is the right of Inheritance which Mephibosheth had to his Land whereof he stood then disseised by the treachery and calumny of Ziba as it appeares by the words following And Nehemiah 2.20 Then I answered them and sayd unto them the God of Heaven he will prosper us therefore we his servants will arise and build but you have no portion Uzedakah nor right nor memoriall in Jerusalem The Right heere mentioned was a Right of Inheritance or of some speciall Priviledge which the three persons to whom hee spake could not clayme because they were not Jewes but Strangers for Sanballat was a Samaritan Tobiah an Amonite and Geshem an Arabian And Psal 9.4 For thou hast maintained my right and my cause thou satest in the throne Judging Zedek right And Psal 17.1 Heare Zedek the right O Lord attend unto my cry Thus the Hebrew word Zedakah the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the English righteousnesse doth many times signifie a Right and is sometime so Englished Now that the same word doth also signifie a Right here in the Text which we have now in hand though here it be not so Englished it playnly appeares from a parallell place in the next chapter following verse 18. For if the Inheritance be of the Law it is no more of Promise For first both these sayings carry the same sense because every Inheritance is a Right though not contrarily every Right is not an Inheritance for there be divers other Rights besides Inheritances But an Inheritance is one speciall kind and indeed the best kind of Right when it comes to be in possession because it is an universall and perpetuall Right extended to a whole estate for ever What therefore in one place is meant by the generall word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Right the same is expressed in the other by the speciall word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Inheritance Secondly both these sayings carry the same reason because in both places hee argues for one and the same conclusion namely that a man is not justified by the Law which hee proves from the severall absurdities which upon a supposall of the affirmative will necessarily follow for if a man be justified by the Law or if his right come by the Law or if his Inheritance be of the Law for all these sayings are all one in effect then all is frustrate voyd without cause and of no effect for the grace of God is frustrate faith is made voyd the death of Christ is without cause and the promise is of no effect For when he saith It is no more of Promise hee seemes to say The Promise is of no effect for so hee sayth expresly in a place paralell to both these Rom. 4.14 For if they which be of the Law be heires fayth is made voyd and the Promise made of no effect Then Christ is dead in vaine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Dyed without cause This is the absurdity which will necessarily follow upon the former supposition that the right to blessednesse commeth by the Law The Greeke Adverbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not signifie in vaine for that is in vaine which is without effect neither is it elswhere in the New Testament ever translated in vaine neyther is that sense the minde of the Apostle heere though that sense be a truth and will follow upon the former supposition But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifies gratis i. e. for nothing or of gift without desert reward or recompence and in this sense it is commonly translated by the word freely as Rom. 3.24 being justified 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 freely by his grace Yet sometime and so heere in this place it signifieth causelesly or without cause and that is done causlesly or without cause for which there is no reason or at least no just weighty or sufficient reason So the word is rendred John 15.25 they hated me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without a cause and so in this place it stands rendred in that English translation which was here in use before that of King JAMES q. d. If the Right of Inheritance unto blessednesse bee Legitimate and come by the Law then there was no just cause nor no sufficient reason can be given why God should deliver Christ and Christ should deliver himselfe up to death But heere in the Death of Christ must bee tacitly comprehended by way of Synecdoche all those other actions of his without which his death would have failed of that due effect for which it was purposed as his Doctrine before it and especially his Resurrection after it For when the Apostle declares the causes of his Death hee commonly also makes expresse mention of his Resurrection joyning it with his death in respect of causality As Rom. 4.25 Who was delivered for our offences and was raised againe for our justification And Rom. 6.4 Therefore wee are buried with him by baptisme into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead to the glory of the Father Even so wee also should walke in newnesse of life And Rom. 8.34 Who is hee that condemneth It is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen againe And Rom. 14.9 For to this end Christ both dyed and rose and revived that hee might bee Lord both of the dead and the living And 2.
Cor. 5.15 And that hee dyed for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which dyed for them and rose againe And 1. Thess 4.14 For if wee believe that Jesus dyed and rose againe even so them also which sleepe in Jesus will God bring with him Yet heere and sometimes elsewhere the Apostle doth mention onely the death of Christ Because above all his other actions his Death was the hardest worke and the greatest argument of his love and therefore his death should most strongly move us to the workes of love and waies of holinesse The Effects and Benefits of Christs death were specified before upon these words of the former verse Who gave himselfe for mee Heere therefore wee shall mention the Causes or Reasons of his death Partly because there is much difference betweene the causes and the effects of the same thing though sometime these to them may bee subordinate Partly because it much conduceth to our understanding and beliefe of a thing to know the causes and reasons of it especially a thing of such moment as is the death of Christ But chiefely because the force of the Apostles argument lyeth in these words that then Christ dyed without a cause Yet heere wee intend not to meddle with the Naturall cause of his death for manifest it is that naturally his Crucifying caused it Nor yet with the voluntary causes of it on the Jewes part For so the causes of it were partly the sentence of Pilate whose will it was to condemne him partly the Malice of the Jewes whose will it was to importune that sentence and partly the Treachery of Judas whose will it was to betray him But our meaning is to declare the voluntary causes of it on Gods part why God had a will to decree the death of Christ and actually to subject him thereunto And the Causes thereof on Gods part if they bee rightly alleadged according to the Scriptures must needes have in them these three qualities 1. They must bee repugnant unto Justifying by the Law for otherwise wee lose the force of the Apostles argument which runnes thus For if righteousnesse or the right whereto a man is justified come by the Law then Christ dyed without a cause i. e. If the Law have this effect to justifie then there is no just cause why Christ dyed and therefore there must bee such a repugnancy betweene that effect of the Law and the cause of Christs death that hee who supposeth the former doth thereby overthrow the latter and contrarily if there bee a cause of Christs death the Law must needes bee without that effect 2. They must bee Consequent to the love and grace of God for otherwise againe wee lose another force of the Apostles reasoning whereby hee inferreth that if Christ dyed without cause then I frustrate the grace of God But I doe not frustrate the grace of God who by the death of Christ conveyeth that grace unto mee For indeede the supreame inward impulsive cause or prime motive of Christs death was the love and grace of God towards us and not his hatred or wrath but of this remote cause wee spake before upon the former verse and therefore shall not insist upon it any further 3. They must bee Respective unto the New Testament Partly because the New Testament is both repugnant to Gods Law and also consequent to Gods grace Partly because the New Testament is that solemne Will and Act of God wherein his love and grace is conveyed and whereon all the actions of Christ reflected Repugnantly therefore to the effect of the Law and consequently to the love and grace of God and respectively to the New Testament the immediate proper finall causes or reasons of Christs death are chiefely three 1. To testifie or prove the truth of the New Testament Every Testament ought to bee sufficiently and solemnly testified for hence by way of eminency it is called a Testament Partly because actively it doth testifie the minde or will of the Testator as the Civill Law delivers it which thereupon saith Testamentum ex eo appellatur quod sit testatio mentis But chiefely under correction because passively it is solemnly testified by the Testimony of severall testable persons who are to attest the truth of it and in case it bee a written Testament actually doe attest it under their hands and seales For the ancient solemnity whereof there are extant severall rules in the Civill Law But unto the New Testament a solemne Testimony was especially requisite Because it was to encounter with strong opposition which Gods people would and did raise against it in defence of the Law which was Gods Testament also and had a solemne Testimony on Mount Sinai wherewith lightning and thunder and the shrill sound of a Trumpet it was testified by an Angel in the audience of all the Nation And besides this solemne testimony the Law had the prescription of being in force for the space of fifteene hundred yeares The New Testament therefore which was to infringe the Old wherein a whole Nation had beene so long interessed had neede of good testimony because men will struggle hard for their Lawes Customes and Religion wherein the graver sort will hardly endure any change And the New Testament though it were not written as was the Old but was nuncupative declared by God onely to Christ Yet it had very sufficient testimony as good and better then the Old For the certainty and truth therof was testified by the Son of God a greater person then any Angel and hee testified it by greater meanes not with lightning and thunder but with workes of wonder such as never were done in the World before such as had they been in Sodome it would have remained untill this day as the strangenesse of his Miracles the holinesse of his life and the solemnity of his death Which solemnity was performed upon Mount Calvary in the view of all the Nation then assembled to eate the passover in a greater Congregation then was at Mount Sinai And that solemnity was attended with greater wonders then were at Mount Sinai for there onely the Ayre was rent with lightnings thunders and the sound of a Trumpet But at the death of Christ there were farre greater and stranger rents for Mat. 27.51 The vaile of the Temple was rent in twaine from the toppe to the bottome and the Earth did quake and the Rocks rent and the Graves were opened and many bodies of the Saints which slept arose For because Christ could not gaine beliefe for Gods New Testament neither by the constancy of his Doctrine nor by the strangenesse of his Miracles nor by the holinesse of his life therefore hee testified it by the solemnity of his death and afterward further attested it by the glory of his Resurrection for thereby his Disciples who stood doubtfull before gave full faith to his testimony and have since co-attested it over all the World Hence Christ
saith of himselfe John 3.11 Verily verily I say unto thee wee speake that wee know and testifie that wee have seene viz. the New Testament or last Will of God which God had therefore revealed unto him that hee should speake and testifie it And againe hee saith John 18.37 To this end was I borne and for this cause came I into the World that I should beare witnesse unto the truth viz. unto the New Testament that it was the true and last Will of God Hence the Apostle saith of him 1. Tim. 6.13 that before Pontius Pilate hee witnessed a good confession now the confession which Christ witnessed before Pilate hee also witnessed with his death Hence hee is called the faithfull and true witnes Revel 3.14 These things saith the Amen the faithfull and true witnesse viz. because hee was the first true Martyr of the New Testament to testifie it with his blood Hence his blood is tearmed a witnesse on earth 1. John 5.8 And there are three that beare witnesse on earth the spirit and the water and the blood and these three agree in one And hence his Gospel which is the New Testament is called his Testimony Because it was testified and witnessed by his death 1. Cor. 1.6 Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you i. e. the Gospel or New Testament which Christ testified And 2. Tim. 1.8 bee not thou ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. i. e. of the Gospel or New Testament which Christ testified by his death upon the Crosse for unto the Gospel that shamefull death was made the common reproach and there was no other cause why Timothy should bee ashamed thereof 2. To establish or confirme the force of the New Testament Every Testament doth necessarily require a solemne Confirmation of it that may cause it to be of strength and in force because the constitution or making of a Testament is in it selfe an imperfect and infirme act untill it be ratified and established by a further act of Confirmation whereby all power to revoke it is extinguished in the Testator and whereby the Testament comes to be of force And among men this Confirmation of a Testament is made or done by the death of the Testator because his death doth wholly and for ever extinguish in him all power to revoke it for the dead have no power to do any act at all much lesse to make or revoke a Testament made That Testament therefore which during the Testators life lay dormant and was of no force doth upon his death ipso facto come to be in force Because every Testament according to the definition and nature of it is a Decree touching things to be done after death For the Testator in the time of his life doth predestinate ordaine and devise in his Testament those things which he would have take effect after his death and which before his death are of no force Hence sayth the Apostle Heb. 9.16 Where a Testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the Testator for a Testament is of force after men are dead otherwise it is of no strength at all whilst the Testator liveth The New Testament then was confirmed because God would have the world take notice that he had not onely no will to revoke it but also had left himselfe no power to revoke it And it was confirmed by death because God would further have all men to understand that upon the death of the Confirmer the Testament was ipso facto in force and began to take effect But God who is the Testator could not confirme his Testament by his owne death in his owne proper person because though he be a Person Testable who can make a Testament yet withall he is a person immortall who cannot dye and therefore the most High God hath this prerogative that he may confirme his Testament by the death of another For hereupon God confirmed his Old Testament by the death of Beasts whose bloud was sprinkled on the people to establish his Testament unto them Exod. 24.8 And Moses tooke the bloud of the Oxen slayne for sacrifice vers 5. and sprinkled on the People and sayd Behold the bloud of the covenant or Testament which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words But God confirmed his New Testament by the death of Christ a most Sacred person who was next himselfe and so neare unto him that he was in a maner himselfe even his onely and dearely beloved Son whom God made his substitute to dye in his stead for the confirmation of his last Will and Testament For as the New Testament is better then the Old and established upon better Promises so it had a most excellent confirmation For can I devise a greater assurance of blessednesse then to read the devise of it in Gods last Testament which cannot be revoked but is confirmed by the death of Christ to stand in force for ever and therefore actually justifieth upon the accesse of my fayth by giving me a present right to the future possession of that Inheritance which long before the confirmation of that Testament was therein predestinated pre-imputed and devised unto me Could God who could not dye devise a way to come nearer death then by the death of Christ who was next unto him Or could God devise a course more consequent and suitable to that love and grace which he shewed in framing of the New Testament then that his owne and onely Son should suffer death to confirme it Or could Christ devise a more precious meanes whereby to shew his love then to lay downe his life for a company of sinners who stood condemned to death that by Meanes of his death that Testament might come to be in force by which they might clayme not onely a pardon from eternall death but also an Inheritance to eternall life which is setled upon them at the price of his bloud For hence Christ instituted the Eucharist as a perpetuall commemoration of his death and called his bloud the bloud of the New Testament because the New Testament was thereby established and confirmed to be in force Mat. 26.28 For this is my bloud of the New Testament which is shed for many for the Remission of sinnes i. e. the Wine in this cup is a memoriall representing or betokening my bloud which is to be shed to confirme the New Testament wherein the Remission of sinnes is bequeathed unto many even unto all Believers And againe the like saying is expressed Marc. 14.24 This is my bloud of the New Testament which is shed for many i. e. the bloud wherby the New Testament was confirmed Hence Christ is frequently in Scripture sayd to give himselfe for us and to dye for us because by his death hee confirmed the new Testament to be in force for our sakes that wee thereupon might actually have our present right to all the blessings therein conveyed unto us Hence also the bloud of Christ is opposed
have so often and so much offended should ever restore me to life and translate me unto the Joyes of blessednesse The Scripture therefore is very frequent in pressing the point for the Remission of my sins because my gracious heavenly Father would have me to conceive and embrace a firme sure and stedfast hope of their future forgivenes that by virtue of that hope I might utterly forsake them and seriously devoting my life to holinesse I might cherefully walke on in the way to blessednesse Unto the Remission of my sins I have in this life a present right but the possession and benefit of this right is so future that I shall not enjoy it till the Resurrection and then all my sins past unto this day shall be actually forgiven upon my present forsaking of my sins For this futurity must exercise my hope and my hope of their future forgivenesse must engage me to a present forsaking of them Thus it is evident that Christ dyed not without cause seeing of his death there were three immediate causes and divers other remote causes Now let us consider the Apostles Argument and we shall perceive the force of it from these two points following 1. In that these causes are repugnant to Justifying by the Law For betweene these causes of Christs death and that effect of the Law the repugnancy ariseth thus It is the proper effect of every testament to Iustifie for therein the testator doth give a present right to the future possession of gifts Legacies and Inheritances which he predestinateth ordaineth and deviseth unto those persons whom he loveth and favoureth Hence it was an ancient Law of the twelve tables Vti quisque legassit suae rei ita jus esto i. e. as any man deviseth his estate by his Will so let the right passe and hereto agree both the Law of Nations and of nature That Testament therefore wherein no person is justified is more inofficious then that wherein persons to be necessarily justified are wholly preterited It is therefore the effect of both Gods testaments of the Old and the New of the Law and the Gospel to justifie in their kind But these two Testaments are apparently different Because they Justife differently for they justifie different persons the Old justifying workers onely but the New onely Believers they justifie from different sinnes the Old onely from ignorances and infirmities but the New from all sinnes whatsoever And they justifie unto different inheritances the Old onely to terrene and temporal but the New unto caelestiall and eternall as was largely declared before upon vers 16. Hence of the New Testament it is sayd expresly Heb. 8.6 That it is a better Testament which was established upon better Promises But if betweene the Old and the New there be no difference it cannot be truly sayd of the New that it is a better Testament because of two things that have no difference neither can be better then the other This difference then betweene these two Testaments breeds such a repugnancy between them that they cannot both subsist For when one and the same testator maketh different testaments then the subsistence of either is repugnant to the subsistence and force of the other Because one and the same person especially God who here is the testator cannot at one and the same time have two different Wills or testaments in force But the last and newest testament is alwayes the best and of such force that it wholly infringeth the former though the former at the first making of it were valid and good for when a latter testament is made it necessarily argueth that then at that time there is some defect or fault in the former which is amended in the latter If therefore the Old Testament be still in force or if it be an effect of the Old to justifie unto those better promises or if the right thereto come by the Law then there had beene no cause of making the New Testament and therefore no cause why Christ should dye to testifie confirme and execute it For if a mans first testament bee faultlesse there can bee no cause why hee should make a second because the true cause of making a second is to amend something amisse in the first but in a thing faultlesse there can be nothing amisse and therefore such a thing needs no amending Hence sayth the Apostle Hebr. 8.7 If that first Testament had beene faultlesse then should no place have beene sought for the second But if the two testaments of God be in effect all one as some teach they are then is the Apostles argument apparantly fallacious For then they can have no different effects but whatsoever is the effect of either must be also the effect of the other then the first Testament and the last must equally justifie unto the same blessednes then the Right thereto must come by the Law and consequently Christ dyed without cause For what cause could there be why he should dye for the last Testament if the first stood still in force and could effect as much as the last But if no discreet man will make two testaments that shall be both wholly to one and the same effect for there can be no cause of his so doing much lesse may we imagine this to be done of the most wise God 2. In that these causes were consequent and suitable to the love and grace of God When I was a poore miserable creature in the state of a grievous transgressor who had offended against the Law of God in the state of an improbous sinner who was peccant against the rules of naturall equity in the state of a calamitous sinner who was blemished as an alien and stranger to the Kingdome of God distressed and abandoned to all the miseries of this life tainted in the attainder of Adams sin and borne condemned to eternall death was it not an argument of Gods love and grace that he would so far please to cast his eye upon me as to Justifie me by releasing and freeing me from my state of sinne and death and by giving me besides a present right of alliance and inheritance with him to be his Son and Heire to eternall blessednes Was it not an argument of his love and grace to me that he would justifie me upon the condition of holinesse For seeing he justified me to be his Son and Heire was it not reason I should carry my selfe as his Son and Heire in the wayes of holinesse answerable to the holinesse of my heavenly Father For could it stand with the wisedome and holinesse of God to require any lesse condition of me then to walk worthy of his love and grace towards me And was it not an argument of his further love and grace that he would make my Justification to be Testamentary to convey this Right unto me by his last Will and Testament wherein by way of Legacy he predestinated and devised it unto me For can any conveyance of any estate be
more firme and sure then that which is setled by the meanes of a Testament an instrument which naturally requireth all favourable construction that things may take effect according to the best meaning of the Testator And was it not the richnesse of Gods grace that hee would settle this Testament by the death of Christ who was his owne and onely son whom he made his substitute to dye in his stead for the testifying confirming and executing of his Testament that it might be in force and take effect whereby I might finally enjoy the benefit of it For could not God have setled his Testament by meanes lesse chargeable and costly to him then the precious bloud of his owne Son And lastly this richnes and abundance of grace was it not grace onely for grace onely for my thankes i. e. onely for my fayth to accept the present right to it for my hope to expect the future possession of it and for my love to performe the condition of it For is not the richnesse of this grace abundant enough to draw these thankes from mee Is it not rich enough to perswade my faith to accept the present right to my Legacy and to embrace it with all my heart and all my soule Seeing Christ hath dyed to testifie confirme and execute that Testament wherein it is devised unto mee For is faith to bee given to any thing which I have not seene if this bee not credible and to bee believed Is not this grace rich enough to assure my hope to receive the future possession of my Legacy for when the Executor of the Testament so loved mee that hee dyed for my sake that the Will might bee in force for which hee dyed can I imagine that hee will deny mee my Legacy For what will not hee give me who gave himselfe for mee When the Executor sitteth at the right hand of the Testator upon his Throne in Heaven where he hath all honour and power to doe all things can I imagine that hee can bee either unwilling or unable to performe the whole Will of the Testator For will such an Executor in such a condition wrong the Testator or defraud any Legatary who is co-heire with him Is not this grace rich enough to procure my love to performe the condition of my Legacy For seeing the Executor so loved mee that hee dyed for my sake to performe the condition of his Executorship Is it not reason that I should love him againe and chearefully addresse my selfe to the workes of love in all the waies of holynesse which is the condition of my Legacy If therefore I conceive that this grace of God comes to mee by the Law and claime my right to it by the Law Doe I not heereby wave the death of Christ and suppose that hee dyed without a cause that there was no neede of his death to testifie confirme and execute the New Testament And consequently doe I not heereby frustrate the grace of God and disanul the gratious meanes whereby it was conveyed and finally debarre my selfe from the benefit of it For what right have I to this grace of God if that Testament wherein it is devised unto mee bee of no force and have no effect For what force or effect can any Testament have which is not testified confirmed and executed But contrarily if I meane that Gods grace shall bee effectuall and will hope to enjoy the blessing of it I must acknowledge the gracious meanes whereby it was conveyed unto mee namely through the death of Christ who shed his pretious blood to testifie confirme and execute that Testament wherein it was conveyed For this grace was not given by meanes of the Law but it came by the meanes of Jesus Christ John 1.17 For the Law was given by Moses But grace and truth came by Jesus Christ Hence the New Testament is called the Gospel of the grace of God Act. 20.24 So that I might finish my course with joy and the Ministery which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testifie the Gospel of the grace of God And afterward it is called the word of his grace in the same Chapter vers 32. And now brethren I commend you to God and to the word of his grace But unto the Law grace is contrary for they are things in themselves opposite Rom. 6.14 Yee are not under the Law but under grace Thus the causes of Christs death were repugnant to the effect of the Law and were consequent to the effects of Gods Love and Grace The Contents of this Second Chapter are 1. History Paul went not to Jerusalem to learne the Gospel vers 1. 1. Because fourteene yeares after his Preaching of it he went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas and tooke Titus with him also vers eod 2. Because he went up by revelation and communicated unto them that Gospel which hee Peached among the Gentiles vers 2. 3. Because Titus who was with him was not compelled to bee circumcised although and because it was urged of false brethren to whom he gave place by subjection no not for an houre vers 3 4 5. 2. History Paul was no way inferiour to the chiefest Apostles vers 6. 1. Because from those who seemed to be somewhat whatsoever they were he differed nothing vers eod 2. Because they who semed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to him vers eod 3. Because they saw that the Gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto him as the Gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter vers 7. 4. Because hee that wrought effectually in Peter to the Apostleship of the circumcision the same was mighty in Paul towards the Gentiles vers 8. 5. Because when James Cephas and John who seemed to be pillars perceived the grace that was given unto Paul they gave to him and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship onely desiring them to remember the poore vers 9.10 3. History At Antioch Paul withstood Peter to his face vers 11. 1. Because Peter was to be blamed vers eod 2. Because before that certain came from James Peter did eate with the Gentiles But when they were come he withdrew fearing them of the circumcision vers 12. 3. Because the other Jewes dissembled likewise with him insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation vers 13. 4. Because when Paul saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel hee sayd unto Peter before them all if thou being a Jew livest as the Gentiles and not as the Jewes why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as the Jewes vers 14. 4. Doctrine A man is not justified by the workes of the Law but by the faith of Jesus Christ vers 16. 1. Because by the workes of the Law shall no flesh bee declared righteous v. eod 2. Because through the death of the Law I am dead to the Law that I might live unto God for I am crucified with Christ Neverthelesse I live yet no more I the man that I was but Christ liveth in mee And though I now live in a body of flesh yet I live in the Faith or Religion not of Moses but of the Sonne of God who loved mee and gave himselfe for me vers 19.20 3. Because I doe not frustrate the grace of God for if the right whereto I am justified come by the Law then Christ dyed without cause vers 21. 5. Duty While wee seeke to bee justified by Christ we must not bee found sinners to continue in sinne vers 17. 1. Because God forbid that Christ should bee or be thought to bee the Minister of sinne vers eod 2. Because if I build againe the things or sinnes which I destroyed I make my selfe a transgressour vers 18. FINIS O My Heavenly loving Father that hast justified mee to bee thy sonne and hast given mee faith to accept the grace of it Circumcise my heart of flesh and cut away from it all carnall love operate and polish it with thy spirit and engrave therein thy Law of love that with all reverence and obedience I may worship and serve thee in all the offices and duties of a sonne lest I prove an ungracious wretch unworthy of so gracious a Father And thou my deare Lord and Saviour that hast dyed to buy mee with thy bloud to make me thy Brother and Co-heire make mee thy Disciple in love that from thee I may learne the wayes of love and for thy sake love them that are thine doing to all men as I would they should doe unto mee